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Postmenopausal women have higher risk for cardiovascular events than do premenopausal women, but the relative contributions of aging and the menopausal transition are unclear. In this 9-year multiethnic cohort study of more than 3000 perimenopausal women, more than 1000 women experienced nonsurgical final menstrual periods and did not use exogenous hormones. Annual measurements of risk markers, including blood pressure, lipids and lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein, were analyzed.
Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels all showed substantial increases from the year before to the year after the final menstrual period, consistent with menopausal change. HDL cholesterol levels peaked arou…