Seventy-six healthy, early postmenopausal women were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral or transdermal HRT for 6 months. The first group received continuous combined oral HRT containing 1 mg 17尾-estradiol and 0.5 mg norethisterone acetate (n = 39), and the second group received sequential transdermal HRT releasing 50 渭g/day estradiol alone given twice a week on days 1-14 and 50 渭g/day estradiol plus 0.25 mg/day norethisterone acetate given twice a week on days 15-28 (n = 37). Circulating levels of MCP-1 and homocysteine, along with other CVD markers, were assessed before and after treatment in all patients.
There were no significant differences between the baseline characteristics of the two groups. Baseline serum MCP-1 levels were similar between the oral and transdermal HRT groups (150.1 卤 12.8 vs. 145.2 卤 11.6 pg/ml; P = .219). The mean MCP-1 levels did not change after 6 months of HRT in both oral (150.1 卤 12.8 vs. 153.6 卤 12.5 pg/ml; P = .192) and transdermal HRT groups (145.2 卤 11.6 vs. 146.1 卤 15.1 pg/ml; P = .419). Moreover, there was no significant difference between the groups in MCP-1 serum levels after 6 months of HRT. Similarly, no difference was found in serum homocyteine levels following 6 months of HRT.
Both oral continuous and sequential transdermal HRTs do not have significant effects on serum MCP-1 and homocyteine levels in women during the early postmenopausal period.