Influence of hormone therapy on the cardiovascular responses to stress of postmenopausal women.
Epidemiological and psychophysiological data suggest that groups that differ in reproductive hormones and stress responses also differ in risk for cardiovascular disease. To evaluate the effects of hormone therapy on women's cardiovascular responses to laboratory stressors, 89 healthy postmenopausal women were tested twice, before and after exposure for about 8 weeks to one of the five conditions: placebo, Estratab (primarily estrone), Estratab plus Prometrium (micronized progesterone), Estratab plus Provera (synthetic progestin), and Estratest (same estrogen as in Estratab plus methyltestosterone). Results showed that women assigned to Estratab plus Prometrium and Estratest had diminished systolic blood pressure responses to stress upon retesting, whereas the other groups did not change in the level of their responses. Women assigned to Estratab plus Prometrium had diminished diastolic blood pressure responses during a speech stressor upon retesting, whereas women assigned to Estratab plus Provera increased. Our findings show that hormone therapy does affect women's stress responses, but they do not provide a simple explanation as to why groups at high and low risk for cardiovascular disease differ in reproductive hormones and stress responses.
Matthews
Karen A
KA
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. matthewska@upmc.edu
Owens
Jane F
JF
Salomon
Kristen
K
Harris
Kelly F
KF
Berga
Sarah L
SL
D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002979:Climacteric / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects; D045166:Estradiol Congeners / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008777:Methyltestosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000187:drug effects*; D045167:Progesterone Congeners / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012016:Reference Values; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects
D045166:Estradiol Congeners; D045167:Progesterone Congeners; C084328:Estratab; D008777:Methyltestosterone