ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hormone replacement therapy(HRT) has an established role in reducing cardiovascular risk and In preventing osteoporosis. But compliance with HRT is not good as expected. There fore, So we assessed perimenopausal womens knowledge and attitude fowards menopause and HRT to. METHOD: Questionnaires were provided to the students mothers of a high school located in Seoul from June 10th, to 15th, 1996. General characteristics and routine breast examination routine Pap smear, the knowledge and practice of high calcuim diet for preventing osteoporosis, their menstural pattern, the in formation source of HRT, in attitude for HRT, and the reasons for refusing. RESULT: Among 560 women, 362 women(64.6%) responded, and the mean age was 45.5 years. For osteoporosis prevention they knew milk(74.7%) were, anchovy(27.4%), calcium(23.6%), HRT(7.4%) were beneficial. And almost(91.8%) all sublets answered that menopause was a natural course and 40.5% of women answered that physical change after menopause could not prevent. Among 34 postmenopause, 5(14.2%) received HRT and 48(20.3%) answered that they would receive HRT, and 57 (24.1%) answered that they would not receive HRT. The reasons for refusing HRT were that menopause was a natural course, there fore deciding the need for artificial hormone therapy(22.4%), increased incidence of brew cancer(21.8%), and that lack of information for HRT(13.9%).The association was not proven between the attitude for HRT and regular Pap smear, regular breast examination, exercise, oral intake for osteoprosis prevention. CONCLUSION: Almost all of the respondents recognized that menopause was a natural course. And the effectiveness of diet and exercise in preventing osteoporosis was more well known compared to HRT.