The menopause symptom profile of Maori and non-Maori women in New Zealand

Objectives To describe menopause symptoms in postmenopausal Maori and non-Maori New Zealand women, and explore relationships between symptoms, sociodemographic profile and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of data collected during recruitment of women from 27 primary-care practices into an observational study and the international WISDOM trial of postmenopausal HRT. Results A total of 3616 women aged 49-70 years (mean 58.9 years) were recruited between 1999 and 2004. Maori and non-Maori participants differed in demographic and clinical characteristics, but few differences were observed in the frequency of menopause-related symptoms. Vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes and/or night sweats) were reported by 34.4% of women, with no statistically significant difference between Maori and non-Maori (controlling for demographic variables, p0.05). Compared to non-Maori, Maori were less likely to have ever used HRT (24% vs. 54%), and only 5% of Maori reported current HRT use compared to 30% of non-Maori (p0.05). Conclusions Maori and non-Maori have the same rate of self-reported vasomotor symptoms despite differences in factors thought to influence the experience of menopause symptoms. Differences in HRT use between Maori and non-Maori need to be further explored to identify contributing factors and whether, in turn, these factors impact on quality of life.