Phytoestrogens use by Polish women

Objective: to evaluate knowledge about phytoestrogens among Polish menopausal women, and to assess their applicability and safety. Methods: The study included 300 women from the Wielkopolska Region, aged 40-60 years. The questionnaire was designed especially for the study. Crosstabulation tables and Perason’s chi-squared test was used for the statistical analysis. Results: 147 respondents continued to menstruate. Hormone Replacement Therapy was used by 69 subjects; 114 respondents, used phytoestrogens. The place of inhabitance influenced the reasons for not using phytoestrogens. Media, healthcare providers and personnel were the main source of information about phytoestrogens. Most of respondents perceived phytoestrogens as substances displaying a beneficial effect on health. 69% of the subjects reported positive effects of non-hormonal preparations for the relief of climacteric symptoms, mainly reduction in hot flushes and alleviation of joint pain. Conclusions: Our results support the postulate of efficacy and safety of phytoestrogen use to relieve climacteric symptoms. Both education and place of inhabitance appear to affect the opinions of the affected females about phytoestrogen use during menopause.