Randomized Controlled Trial

Hormone levels linked to heart disease risk in older women.

This study found that the relationship between sex steroid hormones and the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) differs based on how long a woman has been postmenopausal. In late postmenopause, higher levels of estradiol, estrone, and SHBG were associated with increased atherosclerosis progression, highlighting the importance of hormone therapy timing.