The effects of hormone replacement therapy on serum lipid profiles in postmenopausal women: Four-year follow-up study

Cha, Jin Young; Lee, Jung Ryeul; Cho, Soo Hyn; Cho, Sam Hyun; Moon, Hyung; Hwang, Yeoun Young

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to observe the changes of lipid levels during 4 years of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women. We also tried to determine whether lipid changes were different according to the treatment regimen and baseline lipid values.
METHODS
A total of 108 postmenopausal women were treated with cyclic combined HRT (n=60), continuous combined HRT (n=19), and conjugate estrogen (n=29) alone. Serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were measured before and after HRT every year.
RESULTS
After 4 years of HRT, HDL-cholesterol level raised significantly (10.1%, p=0.001), but total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels were not changed (1,1%, -0.1%). Triglyceride level significantly raised at first year (22.2%, p=0.001) and maintained over three year, but the level became similar to the baseline value at fourth year. The changing patterns of HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were not different among cyclic HRT, continuous HRT and estrogen alone treatment group but total cholesterol levels at fourth year were significantly different according to the treatment regimen (-12.7% in continuous HRT, -0.3% in estrogen alone, and 7.3% in cyclic HRT, p=0.02). HRT had more favorable effect in women with baseline hypercholesterolemia compared to women with baseline normocholesterolemia since the reducing effects on total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and the raising effect on HDL-cholesterol were greater.
CONCLUSION
Postmenopausal HRT had a more beneficial effect on lipid profile in women with Hypercholesterolemia. This finding may suggest that those women could be the best candidates for HRT.