The effect of desogestrel for hormone replacement therapy on the blood lipid profiles of postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of a hormone replacement protocol containing conjugated equine estrogens and desogestrel (which has a highly selective progestogenic and low androgenic effect) as the progestogen, on the plasma lipid profile, as compared with two other hormone replacement treatments (HRT).


METHODS
Eighty-nine healthy postmenopausal women were divided prospectively into four groups. A control group of 24 women did not receive HRT. Twenty-nine women received conjugated equine estrogen and medroxyprogesterone, and 13 women received a protocol containing estradiol, estriol and norethisterone acetate. Fasting blood lipid was taken at the end of each third cycle. The cumulative therapeutic response was calculated in each group as compared with initial values and between groups. Significance was analyzed by t-tests.


RESULTS
A protocol containing desogestrel significantly decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (27%; P < 0.05) and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by 30% (P < 0.05%) after 9 months. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C also decreased significantly (44%; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The most beneficial effect on plasma lipid profile was obtained with an HRT protocol containing desogestrel as the progesterone.
Department of Gynecology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
O P
OP
Tadmor
Y
Y
Kleinman
R
R
Goldstein
Y Z
YZ
Diamant
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D017135:Desogestrel / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004958:Estradiol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045166:Estradiol Congeners / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004964:Estriol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009640:Norethindrone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004338:Drug Combinations; D045166:Estradiol Congeners; D014280:Triglycerides; D004958:Estradiol; C032040:Trisequens; D017135:Desogestrel; D002784:Cholesterol; D004964:Estriol; D009640:Norethindrone