Menopause-related medication use among women age 45-75 experiencing incarceration in North Carolina 2015-2016
International Journal of Prisoner Health
ISSN: 1744-9200
Article publication date: 27 January 2022
Issue publication date: 2 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to estimate the prevalence of individuals receiving hormone therapy for menopause management and the prevalence of underlying conditions that may constrain options for pharmacologic menopause management in the prison context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviewed all prescriptions dispensed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, for relevance to menopause management. Relevant medications were those either recommended for menopause management or those indicated for management of conditions that may complicate menopause management, as per the 2015 clinical decision-support algorithm tool developed by the North American Menopause Society. Analysis was restricted to women between the ages of 45 and 75.
Findings
Of 1,120 women, a majority (77.8%) were between the ages of 45 and 54. Less than 5% of individuals in this study were prescribed estrogen-containing therapy. The most commonly prescribed medications that may constrain options for menopause treatment were related to hypertension and other cardiovascular disease or mental health conditions.
Research limitations/implications
The retrospective nature of this data set limits the findings, given that researchers did not have access to diagnoses or data on polypharmacy. Still, this study indicates that many women over 45 experiencing incarceration are living with health conditions that may complicate menopause symptom management with hormone therapy. Future research in carceral settings must examine the prevalence of menopause-related symptoms as well as access to and quality of comprehensive menopause management.
Originality/value
There is a paucity of literature around the menopause-related needs of individuals experiencing incarceration. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other research has examined prevalence of pharmacologic menopause management among women who are incarcerated.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for their assistance providing the data used in this analysis.
Funding: This work was supported in part by a Community Engagement Fellowship from the Carolina Center for Public Service.
Citation
Jaffe, E., Rosen, D., Palmquist, A. and Knittel, A.K. (2022), "Menopause-related medication use among women age 45-75 experiencing incarceration in North Carolina 2015-2016", International Journal of Prisoner Health, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 176-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-07-2021-0068
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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