Objective: To observe the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on fasting total plasma homocysteine levels and echocardiography in postmenopausal women.
Methods: Subjects were assigned to four groups. Group I: 30 postmenopausal women were assigned to sequentially combined daily 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) plus 2 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or plus 4 mg MPA daily for 14 days in a 28 day cycle for 3 months. Group II: 30 postmenopausal women did not received HRT. Group III: 20 postmenopausal women who took HRT for 1.5 years. Group IV: 20 postmenopausal women who never took HRT. Measurement of fasting total plasma homocysteine was performed before and after 3 months treatment in group I and group II. Fasting total plasma homocysteine was determined and echocardiography was taken in group III and group IV.
Results: Fasting total plasma homocysteine concentrations were not altered significantly after 3 months in group I and group II [before HRT: (9.3 +/- 2.5) micro mol/L, (9.4 +/- 2.9) micro mol/L; after HRT: (9.1 +/- 2.8) micro mol/L, (9.8 +/- 3.6) micro mol/L, respectively (P > 0.05)]. Compared with women of group III, women of group IV had statistically significant lower plasma homocysteine [(8.0 +/- 1.3) micro mol/L, (10.3 +/- 3.2) micro mol/L, respectively (P < 0.05)]. Echocardiography was not found any difference between those two groups.
Conclusions: Three months HRT has no effect on plasma homocysteine levels in postmenopausal women but the postmenopausal women using HRT 1.5 years have lower plasma homocysteine levels than those who never received HRT. Echocardiography showed no detectable changes between women received 1.5 years HRT and those who received no HRT.