Complementary and alternative medicine use among mid-life women

Purpose Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become widely used, with approximately 22% of all adults having used CAM in 2002. Many women are investigating alternatives to hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, in part due to the recent results of the Womenʹs Health Initiative. Physicians should ascertain CAM use in their patients to avoid possible interactions with prescribed drug. This study analyzes CAM use among menopausal women and CAM used specifically for menopausal symptoms. Methods Data were obtained from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The sample was limited to women 45–57 years of age for whom menopausal symptom data were obtained (n = 3663). CAM use was analyzed by SUDAAN to account for the complex sampling design of the NHIS and weighted to obtain nationally representative estimates. Results More than 43% of women 45–57 used CAM in the previous year. Use increased with education, from 28% among women without a high school degree to 63% among women with a masterʹs degree or higher. After controlling for age and race/ethnicity, women who reported menopausal symptoms were almost twice as likely to use CAM as those without symptoms (prevalence odds ratio = 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI 95%) = 1.5,2.1). Forty six percent of women using CAM had informed a traditional health practitioner of this, which was not significantly associated with demographic or menopause characteristics. Only 3.3% of women 45–57 used CAM specifically for menopause (CI 95% = 2.7%–4.0%), with natural herbs the modality mentioned by 2.8%. Education was positively associated with CAM used specifically for menopausal symptoms. Conclusion CAM use among mid-life women is higher than use among all U.S. adults. Women experiencing menopausal symptoms are almost twice as likely to use CAM as other women at the same age, especially among more highly educated women. The use of CAM, however, is generally not related specifically to menopause. More physicians need to ask their patients about CAM use to obtain complete medical histories.