Prevalence of hormone replacement therapy and user''s characteristics: a community survey in Japan

Objectives: It is quite recently that much interest has been paid to the benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in Japan. We conducted a community survey in Japan in 1992 to examine the prevalence of HRT use and factors related to HRT use. Methods: A total of 8791 female residents aged 45–64 years old in a city of the Gifu Prefecture, Japan, responded to the questionnaire including medical and reproductive histories, lifetime occupational history, diet, exercise, smoking and drinking habits, and use of vitamin supplements or medications. The response rate was 94.2%. Results: Overall, 2.5% of women reported current use of HRT and 6.3% had used HRT previously. The highest prevalence of current use was found among postmenopausal women with surgical menopause (4.8%). Current users were more likely to have participated in cancer screenings, and to have used vitamin supplements or calcium during the past year. Conclusions: HRT use rate was 2.5% among female residents aged 45–64 years old in a Japanese community in 1992. Current users may have more regard for their health status.