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Influence of estrogen replacement therapy on cardiovascular responses to stress of healthy postmenopausal women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2001

KAREN A. MATTHEWS ,
JANINE D. FLORY ,
JANE F. OWENS ,
KELLY F. HARRIS  and
SARAH L. BERGA
KAREN A. MATTHEWS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA
JANINE D. FLORY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
JANE F. OWENS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA
KELLY F. HARRIS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
SARAH L. BERGA
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA
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Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to understand the influence of estrogen exposure on cardiovascular responses to acute stress measured by impedance cardiography. Study 1 compared stress responses of 29 postmenopausal women who used postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and 29 who did not use HRT. Women who did not use HRT had higher systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure responses to the tasks relative to HRT users. Study 2 compared stress responses of 38 healthy postmenopausal women not initially on HRT who were randomly assigned to transdermal estradiol or placebo treatment for 6–8 weeks. HRT assignment did not influence substantially women's cardiovascular responses to stress. Characteristics correlated with HRT use, not HRT itself, or differences in type, duration, and dosage may account for the discrepancy in results.

Keywords

EstrogenHormone replacement therapyMental stressReactivityMiddle-aged women and men
Type
Research Article
Information
Psychophysiology , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , May 2001 , pp. 391 - 398
Copyright
2001 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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