Clinical Investigation

The Early Effect of Estrogen Replacement Therapy on Exercise Capacity in Healthy Postmenopausal Women

  • Tarkan TEKTEN
  • O. Alper ONBASILI
  • Ceyhun CEYHAN
  • A. Riza ODABASI
  • Hasan YÜKSEL
  • Ergün ONUR

Received Date: 27.09.2001 Accepted Date: 12.04.2003 Meandros Med Dent J 2003;4(1):13-15

Aim: Although different effects of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) on resting hemodynamics in postmenopausal women to exercise has not been investigated. We aimed to evaluate the early effect of ERT on blood pressure, heart rate and workload in rest and during exercise. Methods: The study group consisted of 12 menopausal women (49.50 4.15 years old) Subjects received 1mg/day estrogen. No subjects had a history of cardiovascular disease or arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemia and none smoked. No women took ERT before the study. Exercise stress test was performed at baseline and after 6 2 days of each treatment. Bruce protokol was used for the exercise test. Blood pressure and heart rate were used to calculate the rate-pressure product at rest and during exercise. Reasons for stopping at baseline included fartique (n:10) andshortness ofbreath (n:2). During ERT, thereasonfor stopping exercise was fatique (n:12) in all patients. Blood pressure, heart rate, the rate-pressure product and exercise duration were evaluated. Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was used for statistical analysis. Results: During rest and exercise, there was no significant difference in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and the rate pressure product after ERT. However exercise duration was foun to be increased significantly after ERT (440 66 secretary vs 47(5 59 secretary, p=0.002). In conclusion, exercise duration may be increased by ERT early in the course of therapy at first week. This effect may be due to the vascular and cardiac effects of the ERT.

Keywords: Estrogen replacement therapy, Exercisetesting