Compounded progesterone: why is it acceptable to Australian women?

OBJECTIVES

To determine factors influencing compounded progesterone products' acceptability amongst Australian women who use them.

STUDY

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey of 366 women from all states of Australia who had been dispensed a compounded progesterone product, using the 'Perspectives on Progesterone' questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model of acceptability. Acceptability was measured by respondents' willingness to recommend progesterone therapy to other women with a similar condition to their own and whether they had talked about their experience to other women.

RESULTS

Australian women who use compounded progesterone tend to be highly educated. They were treating symptoms associated with menopause transition or hormone deficiency. The most common dosage form being used was transdermal cream. More than half the respondents reported improvement for mood swings or irritability (73%), foggy thinking (58%), hot flushes (56%), sleeping problems (55%), and anxiety (54%). Side effects were minimal with the weight gain being the most frequently reported (10%). There was no difference in symptom improvement between those who use progesterone alone or in combination with other hormones. The compounded progesterone acceptability model contains symptom improvement (very large effect size) perception that progesterone is natural and safe (large effect size), number of unexpected benefits (medium effect size) and treatment tailored to suit them (medium effect size). Concerns about other treatments or other treatments being ineffective did not contribute to acceptability.

CONCLUSIONS

Acceptance of compounded progesterone therapy depends on symptom improvement, perception of safety and naturalness and tailored therapy.