A NATURAL EXPERIMENT ON THE EFFECTS OF OVARIAN HORMONES ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS AND STRESS REACTIVITY - BILATERAL SALPINGO OOPHORECTOMY VERSUS HYSTERECTOMY ONLY

To test the effects of declining ovarian hormone levels on cardiovascu lar risk factors, blood pressure, lipids, weight, and physiological re sponses to stress were evaluated in 29 middle-aged premenopausal women prior to and following elective hysterectomy and/or bilateral salping o oophorectomy (BSO). Prior to surgery, there were no group difference s in standard or putative risk factors, with the exceptions of body co mposition measures and total cholesterol level. After surgery, women w ho had undergone BSO(n = 10) had higher levels of atherogenic lipids a nd stress-induced lipids and tended to have higher circulating levels of epinephrine and stress-induced systolic and diastolic blood pressur e than women who had undergone hysterectomy only (n = 19). This study is consistent with the hypothesis that presence of ovarian hormones pl ays a key role in determining women's risk factor status.