• K T Pham, J A Grisso, and E W Freeman.
• Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
• J Gen Intern Med. 1997 Apr 1; 12 (4): 230236230-6.

ObjectivesTo characterize reproductive hormone levels, symptoms, and attitudes related to menopause among healthy, menstruating white and African-American women aged 44 to 49 years.DesignPilot study; cross-sectional survey.SettingCommunity-based convenience sample of women in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.ParticipantsThirty-three African-American and 35 white women.MeasurementsThe survey instrument collected demographic data, medical and reproductive history, health practices and behaviors. It included previously validated function, depression, and quality-of-life instruments, and a Menopause Attitude Scale that included two factors, attitudes toward the menopause and attitudes toward medical therapy. Anthropometric measurements were taken at enrollment, and reproductive hormones and daily symptom logs were followed over two menstrual cycles.Main ResultsThe two groups were comparable in mean age (African-American 46.2 years, white 46.9 years). Serum levels of estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, dihydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, and progesterone were comparable. Symptoms were similar in type and frequency. However, the African-American women had significantly more positive attitudes toward menopause, were more likely to rely on family for information about menopause, and were less likely to have been recommended hormone replacement therapy by their physicians. A majority of women in each group expressed satisfaction with the care they had received.ConclusionsPerimenopausal African-American and white women have different expectations of menopause and the role of medical care in menopause. This bears directly on women's acceptance of hormone replacement therapy. Conclusions are limited by the small sample size and convenience nature of the study population: further work with larger samples is needed to confirm these apparent differences.

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