Knowledge and attitude towards menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) among postmenopausal women.

INTRODUCTION To determine the knowledge and attitude towards menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) among postmenopausal women. METHOD A descriptive cross sectional study based on sample of convenience was conducted at outpatient services of Jinnah Medical College Hospital Karachi from 1st January 2005 to 30th April 2005. One hundred and two postmenopausal women who came to outpatient department of Jinnah Medical College Hospital Karachi as a patient or as an attendant were interviewed after taking verbal consent. Sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and attitude towards menopause and HRT were collected through a structured pretested questionnaire. RESULTS The mean age of respondents was 55.1 +/- 10 years (range 40 - 75 years). The mean age at menopause was 47.4 +/- 3.3 years. Majority of respondents belonged to poor socioeconomic class (75.5%) and 62 (60.8%) had received no formal education. Ninety seven percent of women had heard about menopause and 29.4% were aware of the symptoms. Four (3.92%) knew the long term implications of menopause. Out of 102, only 02 (1.96%) respondents were aware of HRT. Most of respondents (94%) did not consider menopause to be a medical condition but a normal transition. Majority of respondents had positive (47%) or Neutral (39.2%) attitude towards menopause. Thirty six (35.29%) respondents were not sexually active. Decrease libido and frequency was reported by 33 (32.3%) respondents while 25(24.5%) reported no change. CONCLUSION Majority of women lacked sufficient knowledge on menopause and HRT. Women's attitude towards menopause showed that majority considered it a natural event and not a medical condition.