Complementary/alternative and conventional medicine use amongst menopausal women: results from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Large population-based studies of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional medicine use amongst menopausal women are lacking. This study helps address this gap by analysing data from a nationally representative sample of 10011 Australian women aged 59-64 years. Overall, 39% of menopausal women consulted CAM practitioners, 75% used self-prescribed CAM, 95% consulted general practitioners (GP) and 50% consulted specialists during the previous year, and 12% were current hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users. Our findings suggest that CAM is a significant healthcare option utilized by women to treat menopausal symptoms, and so requires attention from GPs and specialists.