THE EFFECT OF SEQUENTIAL 3-MONTHLY HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY ON SEVERAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ESTIMATORS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Objective: To investigate the changes in plasma lipids and lipoprotein s, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidizability, and plasma homocystein e during postmenopausal sequential 3-monthly hormone replacement thera py. Design: Open longitudinal prospective study. Setting: Gynecologica l outpatient department of a university hospital. Patient(s): Thirty-n ine healthy nonhysterectomized postmenopausal women. Intervention(s): Oral conjugated estrogen, 0.625 mg/d, combined with oral medrogestone 10 mg/d during the last 14 days of each 84-day treatment cycle. The tr eatment was given for four treatment cycles of 84 days (1 year). Main Outcome Measure(s): Plasma lipids and lipoproteins, LDL oxidizability, and plasma homocysteine. Result(s): After 1 year of treatment plasma concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were 3.5% and 8.7% lower, respectively. High density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolip oprotein A-I, and triglycerides were 6.5%, 9.0% and 16% higher, respec tively. Apolipoprotein B concentration remained unchanged. The results on LDL oxidizability were inconsistent. Plasma homocysteine decreased with 12.3% during the first 6 months of treatment in women with highe r homocysteine concentrations at baseline. These values returned to ba seline levels during the second half year of treatment. Conclusion(s): This sequential hormone regimen induced beneficial changes in the con ventional lipid and lipoprotein risk estimators, whereas the observed changes in the other markers remained inconclusive and/or of minor imp ortance.