Cardiovascular and metabolic effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate versus conjugated equine estrogen after premenopausal hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) with those of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) as single-hormone therapies in women who underwent hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy.


METHODS
Secondary analysis of a 12-month, double-blind, randomized, parallel-therapy trial.


METHODS
Four teaching hospitals and one community hospital in Vancouver, Canada.


METHODS
Thirty-three healthy women who underwent premenopausal hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy.


METHODS
Subjects received either MPA 10 mg/day (18 women) or CEE 0.6 mg/day (15 women) for 12 months, started immediately after hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy.


RESULTS
Lipid profiles (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL], total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and triglyceride levels), homeostatic measures (hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting blood glucose level), hormone levels (free and bioavailable testosterone, cortisol, sex hormone-binding globulin [SHBG], and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate), inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP] and serum albumin levels), and anthropometric measures (body mass index [BMI], truncal fat, and total body fat) were assessed over the 12-month period. After 12 months, the women assigned to MPA had lesser increases in BMI (p=0.04), triglyceride (p=0.003), HDL (p<0.0005), SHBG (p<0.0005), total testosterone (p=0.003), and CRP values (p=0.01) and higher serum albumin levels (p<0.0005) compared with the women receiving CEE.


CONCLUSIONS
Therapy with CEE, but not MPA, after surgical menopause appears to predispose healthy women to low-grade inflammation, as evidenced by its independent associations with elevated CRP and reduced albumin levels. In women treated with MPA, the favorable levels of inflammatory markers, BMI, and triglyceride levels need to be confirmed in larger controlled trials, as progesterone therapy may provide a safe and effective alternative to estrogen for vasomotor symptoms in women with surgical menopause.
Kalyan
Shirin
S
Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada.
Hitchcock
Christine L
CL
Sirrs
Sandra
S
Pudek
Morris
M
Prior
Jerilynn C
JC
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D004967:Estrogens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007044:Hysterectomy; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011372:Progestins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis
D004967:Estrogens; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D011372:Progestins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate