Menopause: An issue you don't want to talk about

Worldwide, 467 million women were age 50 or more in 1990. By 2030, this number will reach one billion and 200 million. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The application of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has encountered great resistance.

Very few Chinese women reported previous or current use of HRT, much lower than other countries from a previously published study.

This may come from a variety of reasons: traditional opinions, worrying about the side-effects of HRT and a lack of awareness.

In recent years, the debates about the effects and side effects of HRT remain; the clinical benefits of HRT in relieving climacteric symptoms and offering women an improved quality of life are well documented.

The effective treatment to vasomotor symptoms and urogenital atrophy is still hormone therapy, according to the International Menopause Society's guidelines in 2013.