Changes in lipoproteins with various sex steroids.

Menopausal symptoms are a consequence of the decline in sex hormone production, and hormone replacement therapy aims not only to relieve these symptoms but also to prevent the development of diseases of old age such as osteoporosis. The general opinion taken from a wide variety of publications is that the serum lipid concentrations change during hormone replacement therapy with estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, or when oral contraceptives are administered. The intolerance of many women to oral contraceptives and the many side effects developed from the birth control pill lead us to suggest that pure crystalline estrogen pellets for subcutaneous implantation are an excellent method of contraception, adding beneficial influence upon lipid metabolism by increasing HDL concentration. The use of progestogens (nortestosterone or hydroxysteroid derivatives) in order to induce withdrawal periods and to avoid endometrial hyperplasia is recommended. But it is important to note that the nortestosterone derivatives (norgestrel and norethindrone acetate) differ markedly from the nonadrogenic 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone derivative in that the former lowers HDL levels noticeably more than the latter.