Prevalence and determinants of estrogen replacement therapy in elderly women

Persistence with Estrogen Therapy in a Postmenopausal Medicaid Population

“…In exploring the impact of age on ERT persistence, a prospective, multicenter study of 9704 nonblack menopausal women age 65 or older found that overall prevalence of ERT was 13.7%, and was 17% at age 65 to 4% at age 85 or older. 34 Although ours was not a prevalence study, we found a similar pattern of decreased compliance for women over 50 years of age who had at least one ERT prescription filled at the beginning of the study. It was suggested that studies involving only younger patients (< 65 yrs) tend to overstate persistence rates.…”

“…Prevalence was greatest for whites, thin women, those with high incomes, young age, urban residence, more education, users of calcium supplements, those doing regular aerobic exercise, with small households, consumers of alcohol, with osteoporosis, and surgical menopause. 34,35,41 Most of these studies estimated lifetime prevalence or "ever use" of ERT at about 3 times the period prevalence or current use rates. Such studies are beneficial because they describe traits most likely to indicate acceptance of ERT.…”

“…33 Despite documented benefits of ERT, studies to date suggest that fewer than one-third of postmenopausal women receive therapy. 17,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40] To compound this problem, little is known about effects of estrogen in older women or how long these patients take the drugs, as most studies evaluating compliance did not include this population. 41 Several studies were conducted to identify means of increasing compliance with ERT.…”

Measures of Adiposity and Risk of Breast Cancer in Older Postmenopausal Women

“…Participants were asked to bring their medications with them to the clinic for verification of use. 20 Information about current smoking status, benign breast disease, and estrogen and progestin use was updated at the second examination. Women were asked at the third examination or on the third annual mailed questionnaire, in 1990 through 1992, whether they had undergone mammography since the start of the study.…”

Estrogens, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators, and Dementia: What Is the Evidence?

“…This 29% decreased risk of developing dementia among estrogen users may be of major public health importance; however, the observational studies that were summarized are susceptible to confounding and compliance bias. For example, women who choose to take estrogen have been reported to have higher educations and to be healthier than nonusers, 30 differences that may contribute to a lower risk of developing AD. 31 Nonetheless, the results from the metanalysis support the hypothesis that postmenopausal estrogen use protects against the development of AD.…”