1. ¹Hypertension Section, Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
2. ²Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, USA

Correspondence: Robert A. Phillips, MD, PhD, FACC, Box 1085 Mount Sinai Medical Center, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029; E-mail: robert.phillips@mssm.edu

Received 17 November 1999; Accepted 15 February 2000.

Abstract

Menopause is associated with an increase in blood pressure (BP) and a decrease in physiologic nocturnal BP fall. These factors may play a role in the increased risk of cardiovascular events after menopause. Some studies indicate that transdermal estrogen replacement therapy may help restore the 24-h BP profile, but data on the effect of oral conjugated estrogens are lacking. We compared 24-h ambulatory BP profiles of 42 postmenopausal women not receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and 20 women receiving HRT. HRT was associated with a significant increase in the proportion of dippers (50% in women not receiving HRT and 80% in women receiving HRT, P = .048). Increase in nocturnal dipping may account, in part, for the beneficial cardiovascular effects of HRT.