High density lipoprotein concentration is increased during the ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle in healthy young women.

This study aimed to examine the relation between sex steroid hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle and serum lipoproteins and their constituents. Serum was obtained in the early follicular, preovulatory, and midluteal phases from 18 young women. Ovulation was confirmed by estrogen and progesterone assays. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was found to increase by 16% in the preovulatory phase, in comparison to the early follicular phase. Serum apolipoprotein-AI (Apo-AI) was elevated in the preovulatory and mid-luteal phases (14% and 19%, respectively) in comparison to the early follicular phase. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, very low, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C and LDL-C) and apolipoprotein-B (Apo-B) serum levels did not change throughout the cycle. In the mid-luteal phase, the Apo-AI/HDL-C ratio was higher than in the other two phases, suggesting altered HDL composition during this phase. These results suggest that endogenous progesterone, unlike some synthetic progestogens, does not negate the beneficial effect of estrogen on serum lipoproteins.