J Menopausal Med.  2015 Aug;21(2):104-111. 10.6118/jmm.2015.21.2.104.

Effects of Hormone Therapy on Serum Lipid Levels in Postmenopausal Korean Women

• Lee JY
• Hyun HS
• Park HG
• Seo JH
• Lee EY
• Lee JS
• Lee DY
• Choi DS
• Yoon BK

• KMID: 2200988
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.2015.21.2.104

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was conducted to examine the effects of hormone therapy on serum lipid levels in postmenopausal Korean women.
METHODS
This retrospective cohort study included 154 healthy postmenopausal Korean women. Seventy-nine women took oral estrogen (conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg/day or equivalent), and 75 applied estrogen transdermally using 0.1% 17beta-estradiol gel. Micronized progesterone (MP) was added to 40 women of oral group and 49 women in transdermal group. Serum levels of triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and lipoprotein (a) were measured before, 3 and 6 month after hormone therapy.
RESULTS
At baseline, mean body mass index (BMI) were lower (22.76 vs. 23.74 kg/m2) and proportion of family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (61 vs. 39%) were higher in oral group. In oral group, LDL-C and lipoprotein(a) levels decreased, and triglyceride and HDL-C levels increased significantly after 3 and 6 months. There was no significant change in lipoprotein levels compared to the baseline in transdermal group. There were also no differences with additional MP. Changing pattern of HDL-C during 6 months was significantly different by the route of estrogen administration.
CONCLUSION
Oral estrogen therapy might be more beneficial than transdermal estrogen in terms of lipid in postmenopausal Korean women. The estrogen effects are not influenced by adding MP.

Keyword

Hormone replacement therapy; Lipids; Progesterone; Drug administration route

MeSH Terms

Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cholesterol
Cohort Studies
Drug Administration Routes
Estrogens
Female
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Humans
Lipoprotein(a)
Lipoproteins
Progesterone
Retrospective Studies
Triglycerides
Cholesterol
Estrogens
Lipoprotein(a)
Lipoproteins
Progesterone

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in whole hormone therapy group by the route of estrogen. After adjusting for body mass index and family history of cardiovascular disease, changing pattern of HDL was significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.028). TD: transdermal.

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