The years 1999 to 2020 saw a decline in menopausal hormone therapy use

From 1999 to 2020, there was a decrease in menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use among postmenopausal women, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in JAMA Health Forum.

Lin Yang, Ph.D., from Cancer Care Alberta in Calgary, Canada, and colleagues examined trends in and correlates of MHT use among postmenopausal women in the United States using data from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to March 2020. Data was analyzed for 13,048 U.S. postmenopausal women.

The researchers found that the prevalence of MHT use decreased among women of all ages from 26.9 to 4.7% in 1999 and 2020, respectively. MHT use was higher among women aged 52 to 65 years until 2002; since 2005, MHT use has been higher among those aged younger than 52 years. For women aged younger than 52 years, 52 to younger than 65 years, and 65 years and older, MHT use decreased by 23.5, 31.4, and 10.6%, respectively.

Decreases in prevalence of MHT use were seen for Hispanic women (13.8 to 2.6%), non-Hispanic Black women (11.9 to 0.5%), and non-Hispanic white women (31.4 to 5.8%); prevalence was consistently highest for non-Hispanic white women. Among all racial and ethnic groups, the prevalence of MHT use varied by family income-to-poverty ratio and health insurance coverage.

“Discussions and policy on MHT use need to take into consideration sociodemographic factors such as age, race and ethnicity, income, and education,” the authors write.

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