Women doctors take fewer chances with their patients' health than their male colleagues when prescribing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a new survey suggests.
Women GPs are more likely to send patients for mammography screening before they prescribe HRT and at regular intervals thereafter, it found.
The survey, conducted by a team at the Department of Health Promotion, NUI Galway, is based on a questionnaire completed by more than 300 GPs. The results are published in the Irish Medical Journal. The researchers also found that family doctors are cautious about prescribing HRT to prevent heart disease, even though this is "the commonest cause of death and disability in postmenopausal Irish women". One of the benefits of HRT is a possible 50 per cent reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, the report says.
Up to one-third of GPs are reluctant to prescribe HRT for patients with hypertension, but studies have shown that HRT does not have any significant effect on blood pressure "and some smaller studies indicate it might even be beneficial", according to the report.
Women GPs are more likely to have reservations about the risk of breast cancer, it says. They are cautious about prescribing HRT where there is a significant family history of breast cancer. Women GPs' own experiences may explain their heightened sensitivity, it says. "In recent years, concern over a possible increase in the risk of breast cancer has dominated discussion in the lay press and medical journals, resulting in fear and uncertainty among both doctors and women," say the authors.
The survey also found that 74 per cent of family doctors believe HRT should be offered to all women aged 50 to 65 years, provided there are no indications to the contrary.