[Menopause, hormone therapy and self-rated health. A cross-sectional study in Roskilde county in 1998]. / Overgangsalder, hormontilskud og selvvurderet helbred. Tvaersnitsundersogelse i Roskilde Amt 1998.

INTRODUCTION: Middle-aged women are often faced with the dilemma of whether to use hormone therapy or not. Until recently, advertisements, as well as, very often, the scientific literature, advocated the use of hormone therapy. The aim of this study was to determine women's use of hormone therapy and its correlation with age, self-rated health status and lifestyle factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous postal questionnaire was sent to 5,300 women over 44 years of age. The public health insurance office in Roskilde County picked 100 women at random for each of the 53 general practitioners who entered the survey in 1998. 72% of the women answered the questionnaire. The data set was statistically analysed using multiple linear logistic regression, taking account of the fact that the data had been obtained through general practitioners. RESULTS: 35% (95% CI 32-38) of the women 50-55 years of age were currently using or had formerly used hormone therapy. As many as 51% (95% CI 46-56) of the women 60-64 years of age were currently using or had formerly used hormone therapy. More than 50% of the women who were using hormone therapy had done so for more than 10 years. The group of women 45-59 years of age with the worst self-rated health status had odds of 5.1 (95% CI 3.0-8.6) of current or former use of hormone therapy as compared with the women with the highest self-rated health status. The odds of current use of hormone therapy were comparable at 2.7 (95% CI 1.5-4.7) for the women with the lowest self-rated health status as compared with the women with the highest self-rated health status. There was a positive correlation between the use of hormone therapy and physical exercise, tobacco use, former use of oral contraceptives and examination of cholesterol level. DISCUSSION: The percentage of women over 44 years of age who currently use or have formerly used hormone therapy in our study is comparable with the results of Danish surveys since 1983. Women 45-59 years of age who use hormone therapy do not have the same high level of self-rated health as that of women aged 45-59 years who have not used hormone therapy.

[Menopause, hormone therapy and alternative medicine:. A cross-sectional study in Roskilde County in 1998]. / Overgangsalder, hormontilskud og naturmedicin. Tvaersnitsundersogelse i Roskilde Amt 1988.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine how many women use alternative medicine to alleviate menopausal symptoms and how often they feel relieved of those symptoms. We also examined whether there was a negative correlation between the use of alternative medicine and the use of hormone therapy, as well as whether there was any correlation between the use of alternative medicine and self-rated health status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous postal questionnaire was sent to 5,300 women older than 44 years in Roskilde County, Denmark. The public health insurance in Roskilde County picked 100 woman at random for each of the 53 general practitioners, who entered the survey in 1998. 72% answered the questionnaire. RESULTS: 24% (95%; C.I. 22-26%) used alternative medicine either formerly or currently. 54% felt that their symptoms had been relieved by the alternative medicine. More women who had formerly used hormone therapy were using alternative medicine currently or formerly (OR 2.5; 95% C.I. 1.9-3.4 for ages 45-59 and OR 3.9; 95% C.I. 2.6-6.0 for ages 60+) than women who had never used hormone therapy. Some women were using alternative medicine and hormone therapy at the same time, although fewer current users of hormone therapy aged 45-59 years were also using alternative medicine (OR 0.5; 95% C.I. 0.3-0.8) than were those who never had used hormone therapy. Fewer former users of alternative medicine reported good plus very good (OR 0.7; 95% C.I. 0.6-0.9) or very good (OR 0.6; 95% C.I. 0.5-0.8) self-rated health status than those who had never used alternative medicine. DISCUSSION: Women who had formerly used hormone therapy used alternative medicine more often than women who had never used hormone therapy. Women who had formerly used alternative medicine tended to report lower self-rated health status than women who had never used alternative medicine.

[To strengthen patient's own power and to counteract oppressive forces: Empowerment in a medical perspective]. / At styrke patientens egne kraefter og at modvirke undertrykkende kraefter: "Empowerment" i et medicinsk perspektiv.

The aim of this article is to describe the empowerment concept in a medical perspective. The concept originated as a reaction to the oppression of groups and individuals in the USA. Later it was introduced in relation to health promotion. Empowerment implies counteracting oppression of groups and individuals, and being conscious of different positions of power. The concept can be used to describe a goal and a process, as well as a strategy. It implies both the mobilisation of the patient's own power, as well as counteracting oppressive forces. It is concluded that empowerment is particularly important for the most disempowered patients (for instance people who have been given a psychiatric label). Empowerment in the health services is a relevant strategy to achieve fundamental changes in the control and influence of powerless groups, and thereby reduce inequality in health.

[Positive experiences in connection with menopause]. / Positive erfaringer i forbindelse med overgangsalderen.

INTRODUCTION: As a part of a larger study, "Menopause described from the woman's perspective," it was the aim to explore whether women have any positive experiences in relation to the menopause and, if so, the nature of these experiences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a questionnaire, sent to a random sample of 51-year-old Danish women, an open-ended question concerning the course of menopause was included. A qualitative approach was used in the analyses. RESULTS: Of 393 women who answered the open-ended question 194 women described positive aspects of the menopause. The total number of replies with a positive content was 268. These varied from unspecific statements describing a period of well-being or simply of having no problems at all, and concrete descriptions which primarily dealt with the relief that menstruation had ceased with its associated problems, such as PMS and fear of pregnancy. Lastly, they dealt with the possibility of personal growth and freedom to concentrate on the women's own requirements. DISCUSSION: The positive aspects of the menopause are a relevant field to investigate further, quantitatively as well as qualitatively. It is recommended that, in counselling, doctors include positive aspects and women's own resources to avoid the use of medication and unintentionally inducing a feeling of illness at this time of life.