title: Effect of Estradiol valerate plus dienogest on body composition of healthy women in the menopausal transition: a prospective one-year evaluation.
abstract: In the menopausal transition (MT), combined oral contraceptive (COC) should be chosen accordingly to its neutrality on liver metabolism and to its ability to counter the increase of fat mass (FM) that occurs in this reproductive period of life. This prospective multi-centric observational study was conducted on 36 women in their MT at the Universities of Cagliari, Modena and Naples. The body weight (BW), the Body Mass Index (BMI), the waist to hip ratio (WHR), the measurement of body composition (BC) with the Multi-frequency Bioelectrical Impedance (MF-BIA) were performed before, at the 6th and at the 12th month of the study in which a group of women (control group; N.18) did not assume COC, whereas the other 18 women assumed the four-phasic COC containing estradiol valerate (EV) associated with dienogest (EV/DNG group). In comparison to controls in the EV/DNG group, a significant decrease (p < 0.05) of BW (58.8 ± 7.6 to 57.3 ± 7.0), BMI (24.1 ± 2.7 to 23.5 ± 2.8), WHR (0.82 ± 0.052 to 0.79 ± 0.048) and FM (17.7 ± 5.4 to 16.4 ± 5.6) was observed. In controls, FM significantly increased (17.0 ± 11 to 17.7 ± 2.7; p < 0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that the anti-androgenic and progestinic activities of DNG associated with a weak estrogenic activity of EV, is a contraceptive method capable of counteracting the negative changes of BC occurring in the MT.
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Paoletti
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lello
authors.affiliation: b Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Napoli Federico II , Napoli , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Carlo
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orrù
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Malune
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pilloni
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Pierina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zedda
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Maurizio Nicola
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: D'Alterio
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Motzo
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (AOU) di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy .
authors.forename: Gian Benedetto
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Melis
authors.affiliation: c Department of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology , Azienda Policlinico of Modena , Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cagnacci
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001834:Body Water; D001835:Body Weight; D003277:Contraceptives, Oral, Combined / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004958:Estradiol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009277:Nandrolone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D003277:Contraceptives, Oral, Combined; D004338:Drug Combinations; C454300:estradiol valerate-dienogest; D004958:Estradiol; D009277:Nandrolone
keywords: Body composition; DNG; Estradiol valerate; dienogest; fat mass; menopausal transition