A comparative study of serum estrogen and lipid profile in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women as atherosclerotic risk factors

Objectives: Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation; since cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among post-menopausal women, which may be due to lower level of estrogen. The present study was undertaken to evaluate serum estrogen and lipid profile status in post-menopausal women and compare with premenopausal women. Materials and Methods: 50 post-menopausal women and 50 pre-menopausal women in the reproductive age group were selected in the study. We measured serum estrogen and serum lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL-Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, and VLDL-Cholesterol.] in both pre and post-menopausal women. The comparison and correlation of estrogen level with lipid profile was done using correlation test and P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Serum estrogen and lipid profile determinations were done by competitive binding immunoassay and enzymatic methods respectively. Results: This study showed statistically significant lower values of serum estrogen in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women. (p<0.001). Significant higher values of serum TC, TG, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels and significant lower values of HDL-C in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study showed altered serum lipid profile in post-menopausal women, hence they are at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Estrogen may be the protective factor in premenopausal women. Therefore screening for lipid profile and specific health education is needed for all postmenopausal women to prevent the emerging cardiovascular diseases.