Some atherogenic concomitants of menopause: The Framingham Study.

Longitudinal assessment of the effect of change in menopausal status on seven biologic concomitants was made in 40- to 51-year-old women from the cohort of 1686 women premenopausal at the initial Framingham examination and subsequently followed for nine biennial examinations. Within this age range, women of any specific age undergoing natural menopause were leaner at the exam prior to menopause than their controls; while women undergoing surgical menopause with bilateral oophorectomy were heavier. Hemoglobin levels rose after menopause. There was a rise in serum cholesterol levels between the premenopausal and menopausal examinations in natural menopause and in surgical menopause with bilateral oophorectomy. This rise was not seen in surgical menopause without bilateral oophorectomy. No significant changes in weight, blood pressure, blood glucose or vital capacity were found to accompany the menopause.