Women's use of hormone replacement therapy for disease prevention; results of a community survey.

This study investigated whether an increased use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is attributable to a growing motivation among women to use the therapy for disease prevention. Compared with earlier studies, results from this community survey of women aged 51 to 57 years revealed an increased use of HRT, 60% of women had tried HRT, with a median of four years' duration of use. The most frequently cited primacy use for HRT was symptom relief although many women also took the therapy for the prevention of osteoporosis. While women generally commence HRT for symptom relief the extended use of the therapy is, in part, likely to be attributable to an increased motivation among women to remain on HRT for its 'added' benefit of preventing osteoporosis.