It has been generally accepted that high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level decreases with menopause in women. However, recent reports show different results. There is very little data concerning perimenopausal women. To verify these findings, lipids and lipoprotein(a) +AFs-Lp(a)+AF0- levels were compared among pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women of similar mean ages. Postmenopausal women had higher HDL-C levels than premenopausal women (p+ADw-0.001) and there was no difference between peri- and postmenopausal women. LDL-C level in perimenopausal women was lower than in postmenopausal women (p+ADw-0.001) and higher than in premenopausal women with borderline significance (p+AD0-.051). Total cholesterol levels showed stepwise elevation from premenopause to postmenopause. Perimenopausal women had lower Lp(a) levels than postmenopausal women (p+ADw-0.0005) and similar levels to premenopausal women. Lp(a) levels between 0.1 to 10.0 mg/dL were the most prevalent in pre- and perimenopausal women, and those between 10.1 to 20.0 mg/dL in postmenopausal women. In conclusion, menopause itself is associated with the elevation of HDL-C level, and the postmenopausal increase of coronary artery disease is not related to postmenopausal change of HDL-C level. Perimenopausal status, although transient, may favor Lp(a) and lipid profiles for delaying atherosclerosis.
Apolipoproteins A/blood ; Arteriosclerosis/epidemiology ; Biological Markers ; Cholesterol/blood ; Comparative Study ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; FSH/blood ; Female ; Human ; Lipids/blood+ACo- ; Lipoprotein(a)/blood ; Lipoproteins, HDL Cholesterol/blood+ACo- ; Menopause/blood+ACo- ; Middle Age ; Postmenopause/blood ; Premenopause/blood ; Risk Factors