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Abstracts Women’s Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy Lucy L. Burchill 1997 A women’s life expectancy has increased from 65 years in 1940 to 80 years in 1993 (Health United States, 1996). Despite this, the average age of menopause has remained constant at approximately the age of 50. Most woman can expect to spend a third of their lives in the post menopausal years. An important decision a women faces during the post menopausal years is whether or not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT). For some women, the decision is made after careful consideration of information available to them. For others, it is based on philosophical attitudes against tampering with a natural event in women’ s lives. For some others, the decision is made by default when the issue is not addressed or understood specifically (Landau, Cyr, & Moulton 1994). The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of menopausal women toward hormone replacement therapy (HRT), factors which may influence women’s decisions about HRT and attitudes of menopausal women toward HRT. This study showed post-menopausal women not on HRT have less knowledge that those women taking HRT. Is something missing in the education process? Pre-menopausal women showed greater concern about post- menopausal sexuality than post-menopausal women. Is the lack of education causing misplaced fears?
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