Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy with low-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate. Endometrium, plasma lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins.

Several studies have demonstrated that the use of estrogens in postmenopausal women has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease; however, this beneficial effect may be counteracted when concomitant progestogens are administered. We investigated the influence of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with lower doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) (2.5 mg/d) on the endometrium and on the plasma levels of lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins. All the studied HRT regimens induced favorable changes in the levels of plasma lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins, which may play an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The dosage of 2.5 mg/d of MPA is clearly inadequate to protect the endometrium from hyperplastic changes with sequential regimens, but probably this dosage is safe when MPA is administered continuously.