Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause
Published on: August 13, 2019
Angeliq versus Activelle in normotensive postmenopausal women: a prospective, randomized pilot study
Cesare Battaglia1, Arianna Cianciosi, Fulvia Mancini
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. cesare.battaglia@unibo.it
Objective:
The aim of this study was to compare, in normotensive postmenopausal women, the effects of drospirenone/estradiol and norethisterone acetate/estradiol on blood pressure and other surrogate markers of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular risk.
Methods:
Thirty postmenopausal women were submitted to utero-ovarian ultrasonography and to color Doppler evaluation of ophthalmic arteries. Ultrasonographic and Doppler analysis of brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatation and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were performed. Plasma concentrations of nitrites/nitrates were assayed. The participants were randomly assigned to drospirenone 2 mg/estradiol 1 mg (group 1; n = 15) or norethisterone acetate 0.5 mg/estradiol 1 mg (group 2; n = 15) treatment. The duration of the study was 6 months.
Results:
The basal pulsatility index and the back pressure of the ophthalmic artery were similar in groups 1 and 2. After 6 months, no changes were observed. The nitrites/nitrates values were not different between groups 1 and 2 both in basal conditions and after therapy. The brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatation and the pulsatility index of the brachial artery did not show any difference in groups 1 and 2 both in basal conditions and after the therapy. The 24-hour blood pressure monitoring showed no significant differences in the 24-hour time, daytime, and nighttime values either in basal conditions or after therapy. All participants were found to be dippers normally (nocturnal reduction > or =10% in comparison with diurnal values). The wake-up blood pressure values were similar in the studied participants.
Conclusions:
A 6-month hormone therapy with drospirenone/estradiol or norethisterone acetate/estradiol is equally effective and does not seem to alter the surrogate markers of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk.
Related Concept Videos
Adrenergic Antagonists: ɑ and β-Receptor Blockers
Antihypertensive Drugs: Direct Renin Inhibitors
Hormonal Regulation of Blood Pressure
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, catecholamines that enhance and extend the sympathetic or "fight or flight" physiological response. These hormones escalate heart rate and the force of contraction while...
Menopause
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Hypertension III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
