A new survey indicates that up to a third of the UK 's 1.7 million women on HRT may have stopped using treatment over the past 18 months because of media coverage. As a result thousands of women may have been catapulted back to a life in the 1960s, to a time before HRT.

However, the effects of the menopause on women and their relationships can be devastating and a new survey[1] published this week suggests that life is so miserable for some women who have given up HRT that they are returning to treatment.

In the new NOP survey of women aged between 45 and 64 who had either given up HRT in the past 18 months or who were still currently on treatment, almost a quarter said they considered stopping HRT and a third abandoned it because of press reports. Unfortunately symptoms returned for most women [9 out of 10] who decided to stop treatment, for whatever reason, with hot flushes, night sweats and a lack of sleep, topping the list of m troublesome symptoms that returned.

"Recent media coverage may have made women more cautious.    However living with the often debilitating symptoms of the menopause can be so awful, that more women are starting to reconsider HRT as a suitable short term option for them," said Dr Sally Hope, GP with a special interest in women's health and the menopause.   The decision to prescribe treatment should be made based on a woman's individual needs. When used in line with current recommendations, at the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration of time, HRT can potentially change women's lives. It has to be the woman's informed choice about the risks and benefits"

76 per cent of women on HRT said that they had not considered giving it up, despite recent press coverage, with 8 out of 10 women surveyed saying they continued taking HRT because it effectively treated their symptoms. The benefits of HRT outweigh any risks in the opinion of 8 in 10 women who continued with treatment.

[1] HRT Survey 2004 conducted by NOP

Source: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals