Nonhormonal drug use and its relation to androgens in perimenopausal women: a population-based study of Swedish women. The Women's Health in the Lund Area Study.

OBJECTIVE

To outline the prevalence of nonhormonal drug use in middle-aged women and to assess plausible associations between serum androgen levels and variables associated to health such as drug use and planned visits to healthcare units.

METHODS

This was a population-based study of women aged 50 to 59 years (n = 6,893). Women were divided into three groups according to their menopause status: premenopausal (PM), postmenopausal without hormone therapy (PM0), and postmenopausal with hormone therapy (PMT). Data regarding current drug use and healthcare visits were collected from a questionnaire.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of nonhormonal drug use was 36.4% in all women. In the PM, PM0, and PMT groups, these percentages were 28.3%, 35.3%, and 39.3%, respectively, and the differences between them were statistically significant (P < 0.01). In all women, the most common medication used was for cardiovascular conditions (12.0%), followed by those for asthma (4.0%) and pain (3.7%). The number of drugs used by all women and women in the PM0 and the PMT groups were negatively associated with the serum levels of androstenedione (P < 0.05). In the postmenopausal groups, the number of visits to healthcare units was negatively associated to the levels of serum testosterone and androstenedione (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Hormone therapy in postmenopausal women seems to be associated with increased use of nonhormonal pharmacotherapy, rendering higher prevalence of such drugs in middle-aged women. Postmenopausal women with lower serum testosterone and a higher number of office visits used medications for cardiovascular problems and depression more than other medications. Whether this is an effect related to the hormone therapy itself or to experiencing more perimenopausal symptoms in this group of women is still unclear.