Dataset Information

Use and perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines after discontinuation of hormone therapy: a nested United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Given that the Women's Health Initiative reported in 2002 increased risks of breast cancer and cardiovascular events with hormone therapy (HT) use and many women discontinued use, we assessed the use and perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) for menopausal symptom relief after discontinuation of HT.

Methods

Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 years within the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening who were willing to take part in a secondary study were mailed a survey to evaluate menopausal symptom management. Use and perceived efficacy of CAMs for relief of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) upon discontinuation of HT were examined.

Results

The survey was sent to 15,000 women between July 2 and July 9, 2008. Seventy-one percent (10,662 of 15,000) responded, and 10,607 women with complete data were included. Ever use of HT was reported by 60.2% (6,383 of 10,607). At survey completion, 79.3% (5,060 of 6,383) had discontinued HT, with 89.7% (4,540 of 5,060) of the latter reporting using one or more CAMs for VMS relief. About 70.4% (3,561 of 5,060) used herbal remedies, with evening primrose oil (48.6%; 2,205 of 4,540) and black cohosh (30.3%;1,377 of 4,540) being most commonly used. Exercise was used by 68.2% (3,098 of 4,540), whereas other behavioral/lifestyle approaches were less frequently reported (13.9%; 629 of 4,540). Contrarily, more women (57%-72%) rated behavioral/lifestyle approaches as effective compared with herbal remedies (28%-46%; rating ?4 on a "helpfulness" scale from 1-10). Among medical treatments, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were used by 10% and rated effective by 72.1%.

Conclusions

Although more women use over-the-counter medicines, behavioral/lifestyle approaches seem to provide better relief of VMS. There is a pressing need for better evidence-based lay information to support decision-making on CAM use for relief of VMS.

SUBMITTER: Gentry-Maharaj A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4470524 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Use and perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines after discontinuation of hormone therapy: a nested United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening cohort study.

Gentry-Maharaj Aleksandra A Karpinskyj Chloe C Glazer Clara C Burnell Matthew M Ryan Andy A Fraser Lindsay L Lanceley Anne A Jacobs Ian I Hunter Myra S MS Menon Usha U

Menopause (New York, N.Y.) 20150401 4

<h4>Objective</h4>Given that the Women's Health Initiative reported in 2002 increased risks of breast cancer and cardiovascular events with hormone therapy (HT) use and many women discontinued use, we assessed the use and perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) for menopausal symptom relief after discontinuation of HT.<h4>Methods</h4>Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 years within the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening who were willing to ...[more]

PMID: 25290539

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Integrative and complementary health approaches (ICHA) are often pursued by patients facing chronic illnesses. Most of the studies that investigated the factors associated with ICHA consumption have considered that the propensity to use ICHA is a stable or fixed characteristic of an individual. However, people may prefer using ICHA in some situations and not in others, depending on the characteristics of the illness to face. Moreover, the attitude toward ICHA may differ within a single individual and between individuals so that ICHA can be used either in addition to (i.e., complementary attitude) or in place of (i.e., alternative attitude). The present study aimed at examining distinct patterns of attitudes toward ICHA in people hypothetically facing chronic illnesses that differed according to severity and clinical expression. METHODS:We conducted a web-based study including 1807 participants who were asked to imagine that they had a particular chronic illness based on clinical vignettes (mental illnesses: depression, schizophrenia; somatic illnesses: rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis). Participants were invited to rate their perceived distress and social stigma associated with each illness as well as its perceived treatability. They also rated their belief in treatment effectiveness, and their treatment preference. Four patterns of treatment choice were determined: strictly conventional, weak or strong complementary, and alternative. Bayesian methods were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS:ICHA were selected as complementary treatment option by more than 95% of people who hypothetically faced chronic illness. The complementary attitude towards ICHA (in addition to conventional treatment) was more frequent than the alternative one (in place of conventional treatment). Factors driving this preference included employment status, severity of illness, age and perceived distress, social stigma and treatability of the illness. When the label of illnesses was included in the vignettes, patterns of treatment preference were altered. CONCLUSIONS:This study provides evidence that "medical pluralism" (i.e., the integration of ICHA with conventional treatment) is likely the norm for people facing both mental or somatic illness. However, our result must be interpreted with caution due to the virtual nature of this study. We suggest that taking attitudes toward ICHA into account is crucial for a better understanding of patients' motivation to use ICHA.

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Dataset Information

Use and perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines after discontinuation of hormone therapy: a nested United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening cohort study.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Use and perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines after discontinuation of hormone therapy: a nested United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening cohort study.

Similar Datasets

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