Effects of hormone replacement therapy on glucose and lipid profiles and on cardiovascular risk parameters in postmenopausal women
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause
Published on: August 13, 2019
Banu Bingol1, Ziya Gunenc, Murat Yilmaz
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bilim University, Gayrettepe Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. banubingol1975@yahoo.com
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms and cardiovascular risk parameters in healthy postmenopausal women.
Methods:
Forty women receiving and 38 women not receiving HRT were included and baseline and sixth month blood pressure, weight, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, blood lipid profile, inflammatory markers (homocysteine, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and insulin, and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results were evaluated.
Results:
The mean age was 52.6+/-4.9 and 52.2+/-5.0 years in the HRT and Control Groups, respectively. Whereas there was no change in the Controls, the weight, waist/hip ratio, and BMI increased and diastolic blood pressure decreased in the HRT patients. LDL-c, VLDL-c and lipoprotein (a) levels were significantly higher in the HRT Group in the sixth month; however, total cholesterol and LDL-c increased in the Controls but VLDL-c and lipoprotein (a) did not. CRP and homocysteine significantly increased and fibrinogen decreased, whereas in the Control Group no significant change was detected. A significant improvement in HbA1c and OGTT was found in both the groups, whereas a significant reduction was measured only in the HRT Group.
Conclusions:
In response to 6 months of HRT, there was an increase in weight, BMI, and waist/hip ratio as known cardiovascular risk factors, but no significant impact on lipid profile and glucose metabolism could have been clearly demonstrated. A mixed effect profile of HRT on the state of inflammation (increase in CRP and homocysteine, decrease in fibrinogen) was observed.
Related Concept Videos
Menopause
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: Biguanides and Glitazones
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
Insulin: Dosing Regimen and Adverse Effects
The basal dose constitutes about 40%-50% of the total daily dose, with the rest as premeal insulin. The mealtime insulin dose should mirror...
Hyperglycemia
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon