THE EFFECTS OF TRANSDERMAL ESTROGEN THERAPY ON LIPID PROFILE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Postmenopausal estrogen therapy exerts beneficial effects on plasma lipids by reducing plasma concentrations of LDL particles and increasing those of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. Additionally, estrogen exhibits antioxidant effects by decreasing the susceptibility of LDL and HDL to oxidative modification. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is heterogeneous in size and density, and not all LDL subfractions are equally atherogenic. Smaller and denser LDL particles are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease because they are more susceptible to oxidative modification, an initial step in the atherosclerotic process. The study subjects were 100 women aged 50-65 years, who had been amenorrhoeic for at least two years, which means they were in the menopausal period, divided into two groups of 50 individuals, to whom oral or transdermal estrogen therapy was applied, respectively. The material, specifically the statistical data for analyzing the levels of parameters, including total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, Apo L(a), and estradiol, was provided by the Biochemical Laboratory at the "Mother Teresa" Clinic in Skopje, during the period from June to December 2024.