Prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine/non-pharmacological interventions use for menopausal symptoms within the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening

Authors: Gentry-Maharaj A, Karpinskyj C, Glazer C, Burnell M, Bailey K, Apostolidou S, Ryan A, Lanceley A, Fraser L, Jacobs I, Hunter M S, Menon UJournal: Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause SocietyPublished: June 1, 2017DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2017.1301919

Moderate EvidenceCross Sectionaln=88430 participants

Menopause Symptoms Pregnancy Discomfort Cancer Pain Management

In Plain Language: menopause, explained

The negative publicity about menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) has led to increased use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) for menopausal symptom relief. We report on the prevalence and predictors of CAM/NPI among UK postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women aged 50-74 years were invited to participate in the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). A total of 202 638 women were recruited and completed a baseline questionnaire. Of these, 136 020 were sent a postal follow-up-questionnaire between September 2006 and May 2009 which included ever-use of CAM/NPI for menopausal symptom relief. Both questionnaires included MHT use. A total of 88 430 (65.0%) women returned a completed follow-up-questionnaire; 22 206 (25.1%) reported ever-use of one or more CAM/NPI. Highest use was reported for herbal therapies (43.8%; 9725/22 206), vitamins (42.6%; 9458/22 206), lifestyle approaches (32.1%; 7137/22 206) and phytoestrogens (21.6%; 4802/22 206). Older women reported less ever-use of herbal therapies, vitamins and phytoestrogens. Lifestyle approaches, aromatherapy/reflexology/acupuncture and homeopathy were similar across age groups. Higher education, Black ethnicity, MHT or previous oral contraceptive pill use were associated with higher CAM/NPI use. Women assessed as being less hopeful about their future were less likely to use CAM/NPI. One in four postmenopausal women reported ever-use of CAM therapies/NPI for menopausal symptom relief, with lower use reported by older women. Higher levels of education and previous MHT use were positive predictors of CAM/NPI use. UKCTOCS Trial registration: ISRCTN22488978.

Key Findings: what this cross-sectional study found about menopause

✓Among 88,430 postmenopausal women in the UK, 25.1% reported ever-using complementary and alternative medicine or non-pharmacological interventions for menopausal symptom relief.
✓Herbal therapies (43.8%) and vitamins (42.6%) were the most commonly used complementary and alternative medicine approaches for managing menopausal symptoms.
✓The increased use of complementary and alternative medicines for menopausal symptoms has grown following negative publicity about menopausal hormone therapy.

What This Means for You

This study shows reflexology is used by some women for menopause, but the evidence is observational only—it tells us people use it, not whether it actually works better than other options.

What This Means for Practitioners

Your reflexology clients seeking menopause support represent a real market segment (25% of women try complementary approaches), but you should understand they often combine multiple therapies rather than relying on reflexology alone.

Study Design: how this cross-sectional study was run

Sample Size

88430 participants

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Menopause: common questions

What does this study say about menopause?

This study shows reflexology is used by some women for menopause, but the evidence is observational only—it tells us people use it, not whether it actually works better than other options.

What did this study find?

Among 88,430 postmenopausal women in the UK, 25.1% reported ever-using complementary and alternative medicine or non-pharmacological interventions for menopausal symptom relief. Herbal therapies (43.8%) and vitamins (42.6%) were the most commonly used complementary and alternative medicine approaches for managing menopausal symptoms. The increased use of complementary and alternative medicines for menopausal symptoms has grown following negative publicity about menopausal hormone therapy.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a cross-sectional study and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 88,430 participants. It was published in Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.