Effects of four different hormone replacement therapy regimens on certain cardiovascular risk factors

Abstract

This study was performed to compare the effects of 4 different hormone replacement therapy (HRT) protocols on certain cardiovascular risk factors. Eighty-nine postmenopausal women were treated with oral conjugated estrogens, transdermal 17 beta-E2, cyclic oral E2-17-valerate+cyproterone acetate (E2-17-V+CA) or tibolone. Blood pressure (BP) measurements, fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride levels at the 12th month were compared with the pretreatment values in each treatment group. There were no significant changes in the systolic BP, FBG, serum total and LDL-chotesterol levels in any group. Diastolic BP measurements were lower in the E2-17-V+CA group; HDL-cholesterol levels increased in the conjugated E and E2-17-V+CA groups; and triglyceride levels decreased in the tibolone group significantly (p<0.05). However, the differences between the initial and post-treatment values of those parameters were not significant among the treatment groups (p>0.05). Therefore, these HRT protocols were not significantly different from one another in eliminating certain cardiovascular risk factors.