Table 1.
Demographics of the study women and those using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)/non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) for menopausal symptom relief.
|
Ever use of CAM |
||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CAM (overall) |
Herbal remedies |
Homeopathic remedies |
Phytoestrogens or soy products |
Aromatherapy, reflexology or acupuncture |
Vitamins |
Lifestyle change |
||||||||||
| Number of women | % of whole cohort | n | % of total cohort | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | |
| Age at reporting (years) | ||||||||||||||||
| 50–54 | 2489 | 2.8 | 1051 | 42.2 | 566 | 22.7 | 119 | 4.8 | 282 | 11.3 | 160 | 6.4 | 503 | 20.2 | 328 | 13.2 |
| 55–59 | 19 063 | 21.6 | 7771 | 40.8 | 4087 | 21.4 | 918 | 4.8 | 1993 | 10.5 | 1114 | 5.8 | 3364 | 17.6 | 2456 | 12.9 |
| 60–64 | 23 965 | 27.1 | 7226 | 30.2 | 3183 | 13.3 | 898 | 3.7 | 1550 | 6.5 | 1006 | 4.2 | 3160 | 13.2 | 2194 | 9.2 |
| 65–69 | 20 422 | 23.1 | 3886 | 19.0 | 1333 | 6.5 | 534 | 2.6 | 667 | 3.3 | 597 | 2.9 | 1589 | 7.8 | 1294 | 6.3 |
| 70–74 | 16 200 | 18.3 | 1776 | 11.0 | 474 | 2.9 | 248 | 1.5 | 249 | 1.5 | 273 | 1.7 | 662 | 4.1 | 640 | 4.0 |
| 75+ | 6291 | 7.1 | 496 | 7.9 | 82 | 1.3 | 74 | 1.2 | 61 | 1.0 | 86 | 1.4 | 180 | 2.9 | 225 | 3.6 |
| All ages | 88 430 | 100.0 | 22 206 | 25.1 | 9725 | 11.0 | 2791 | 3.2 | 4802 | 5.4 | 3236 | 3.7 | 9458 | 10.7 | 7137 | 8.1 |
| Overall use of each therapy | 25.1% | 11.0% | 3.2% | 5.4% | 3.7% | 10.7% | 8.1% | |||||||||
| Overall use in those using CAM | 43.8% | 12.6% | 21.6% | 14.6% | 42.6% | 32.1% | ||||||||||
| Ethnicity | ||||||||||||||||
| White | 86 116 | 97.4 | 21 441 | 24.9 | 9470 | 11.0 | 2712 | 3.1 | 4650 | 5.4 | 3142 | 3.6 | 9112 | 10.6 | 6789 | 7.9 |
| Black | 760 | 0.9 | 294 | 38.7 | 102 | 13.4 | 28 | 3.7 | 51 | 6.7 | 34 | 4.5 | 150 | 19.7 | 133 | 17.5 |
| South Asian | 408 | 0.5 | 130 | 31.9 | 34 | 8.3 | 20 | 4.9 | 22 | 5.4 | 10 | 2.5 | 48 | 11.8 | 74 | 18.1 |
| Other | 746 | 0.8 | 255 | 34.2 | 79 | 10.6 | 22 | 2.9 | 61 | 8.2 | 35 | 4.7 | 114 | 15.3 | 114 | 15.3 |
| Missing | 400 | 0.9 | 86 | 21.5 | 40 | 10.0 | 9 | 2.3 | 18 | 4.5 | 15 | 3.8 | 34 | 8.5 | 27 | 6.8 |
| Education | ||||||||||||||||
| College/university or equivalent | 18 902 | 21.4 | 5869 | 31.0 | 2514 | 13.3 | 828 | 4.4 | 1543 | 8.2 | 976 | 5.2 | 2429 | 12.9 | 2328 | 12.3 |
| Other formal qualification | 44 233 | 50.0 | 11 990 | 27.1 | 5356 | 12.1 | 1479 | 3.3 | 2588 | 5.9 | 1785 | 4.0 | 5194 | 11.7 | 3787 | 8.6 |
| None | 23 953 | 27.1 | 4078 | 17.0 | 1753 | 7.3 | 452 | 1.9 | 633 | 2.6 | 450 | 1.9 | 1722 | 7.2 | 943 | 3.9 |
| Missing | 1342 | 1.5 | 269 | 20.0 | 102 | 7.6 | 32 | 2.4 | 38 | 2.8 | 25 | 1.9 | 113 | 8.4 | 79 | 5.9 |
| Smoking | ||||||||||||||||
| Have smoked/smoker | 37 863 | 42.8 | 9873 | 26.1 | 4510 | 11.9 | 1296 | 3.4 | 2102 | 5.6 | 1435 | 3.8 | 4255 | 11.2 | 3103 | 8.2 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | ||||||||||||||||
| Underweight (11–19) | 3198 | 3.6 | 830 | 26.0 | 339 | 10.6 | 112 | 3.5 | 223 | 7.0 | 112 | 3.5 | 367 | 11.5 | 271 | 8.5 |
| Normal (20–24) | 35 245 | 39.9 | 9778 | 27.7 | 4368 | 12.4 | 1204 | 3.4 | 2420 | 6.9 | 1274 | 3.6 | 4291 | 12.2 | 3281 | 9.3 |
| Overweight (25–29) | 32 142 | 36.3 | 7804 | 24.3 | 3444 | 10.7 | 987 | 3.1 | 1552 | 4.8 | 1196 | 3.7 | 3227 | 10.0 | 2451 | 7.6 |
| Obese (30–39) | 15 522 | 17.6 | 3297 | 21.2 | 1392 | 9.0 | 420 | 2.7 | 520 | 3.4 | 567 | 3.7 | 1365 | 8.8 | 972 | 6.3 |
| Morbidly obese (40+) | 1341 | 1.5 | 261 | 19.5 | 99 | 7.4 | 44 | 3.3 | 37 | 2.8 | 51 | 3.8 | 116 | 8.7 | 76 | 5.7 |
| Missing/erroneous | 982 | 1.1 | 236 | 48.0 | 83 | 16.7 | 24 | 5.0 | 50 | 9.8 | 36 | 7.5 | 92 | 18.7 | 86 | 17.6 |
| OCP (ever use) | 54 793 | 62.0 | 16 091 | 29.4 | 7561 | 13.8 | 2032 | 3.7 | 3644 | 6.7 | 2394 | 4.4 | 6875 | 12.5 | 5054 | 9.2 |
| MHT (ever use) | 14 454 | 16 | 5319 | 36.8 | 2769 | 19.2 | 619 | 4.3 | 1301 | 9.0 | 766 | 5.3 | 2204 | 15.2 | 1553 | 10.7 |
| History of hysterectomy a | 15 432 | 17.5 | 3950 | 25.6 | 1762 | 11.4 | 486 | 3.1 | 882 | 5.7 | 636 | 4.1 | 1585 | 10.3 | 1217 | 7.9 |
| Tubal ligation | 17 968 | 20.3 | 4730 | 26.3 | 2080 | 11.6 | 582 | 3.2 | 961 | 5.3 | 712 | 4.0 | 1995 | 11.1 | 1446 | 20.3 |
| Pregnancies <6 months | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 60 905 | 68.9 | 14 809 | 24.3 | 6504 | 10.7 | 1842 | 3.0 | 3109 | 5.1 | 2072 | 3.4 | 6233 | 10.2 | 4646 | 7.6 |
| 1 | 18 045 | 20.4 | 4741 | 26.3 | 2046 | 11.3 | 602 | 3.3 | 1059 | 5.9 | 728 | 4.0 | 2073 | 11.5 | 1576 | 8.7 |
| 2 | 5359 | 6.1 | 1575 | 29.4 | 694 | 13.0 | 200 | 3.7 | 377 | 7.0 | 262 | 4.9 | 667 | 12.4 | 546 | 10.2 |
| 3 | 1764 | 2.0 | 477 | 27.0 | 211 | 12.0 | 71 | 4.0 | 132 | 7.5 | 79 | 4.5 | 211 | 12.0 | 177 | 10.0 |
| 4+ | 1314 | 1.5 | 360 | 27.4 | 170 | 12.9 | 47 | 3.6 | 83 | 6.3 | 65 | 4.9 | 174 | 13.2 | 109 | 8.3 |
| Missing | 1043 | 1.2 | 244 | 23.4 | 100 | 9.6 | 29 | 2.8 | 42 | 4.0 | 30 | 2.9 | 100 | 9.6 | 83 | 8.0 |
| Parity – pregnancies >6 months | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 10 610 | 12.0 | 2979 | 28.1 | 1420 | 13.4 | 441 | 4.2 | 772 | 7.3 | 517 | 4.9 | 1250 | 11.8 | 936 | 8.8 |
| 1 | 10 402 | 11.8 | 2719 | 26.1 | 1230 | 11.8 | 371 | 3.6 | 621 | 6.0 | 437 | 4.2 | 1150 | 11.1 | 844 | 8.1 |
| 2 | 38 687 | 43.7 | 10 297 | 26.6 | 4598 | 11.9 | 1228 | 3.2 | 2197 | 5.7 | 1372 | 3.5 | 4427 | 11.4 | 3339 | 8.6 |
| 3 | 19 559 | 22.1 | 4419 | 22.6 | 1767 | 9.0 | 527 | 2.7 | 876 | 4.5 | 652 | 3.3 | 1887 | 9.6 | 1414 | 7.2 |
| 4+ | 8 993 | 10.2 | 1746 | 19.4 | 691 | 7.7 | 220 | 2.4 | 328 | 3.6 | 254 | 2.8 | 724 | 8.1 | 585 | 6.5 |
| Missing | 179 | 0.2 | 46 | 25.7 | 19 | 10.6 | 4 | 2.2 | 8 | 4.5 | 4 | 2.2 | 20 | 11.2 | 19 | 10.6 |
| Cancer history b | 6 878 | 7.8 | 1443 | 21.0 | 527 | 7.7 | 217 | 3.2 | 289 | 4.2 | 270 | 3.9 | 592 | 8.6 | 480 | 7.0 |
| History of breast cancer | 4 780 | 5.4 | 1008 | 21.1 | 359 | 7.5 | 152 | 3.2 | 218 | 4.6 | 188 | 3.9 | 410 | 8.6 | 337 | 7.1 |
| History of bowel cancer | 648 | 0.7 | 110 | 17.0 | 44 | 6.8 | 18 | 2.8 | 22 | 3.4 | 17 | 2.6 | 43 | 6.6 | 33 | 5.1 |
| History of gynecological (ovarian/endometrial) cancer | 376 | 0.4 | 84 | 22.3 | 39 | 10.4 | 14 | 3.7 | 12 | 3.2 | 17 | 4.5 | 31 | 8.2 | 24 | 6.4 |
OCP, oral contraceptive pill; MHT, menopausal hormone therapy
a
, Reported at recruitment; b, history of cancer captured at recruitment (breast, bowel, lung, other), or (breast, bowel, gynecological) at follow-up questionnaire