Role of menopausal hormone therapy in the issues of preventing cardiovascular disorders in women in their post-reproductive stage

Cardiovascular disorders (CVD) in female population are the main cause of mortality, and an increase in the prevalence of myocardial infarction among women is observed in the recent decades, in contrast to the male population showing a decrease in this indicator. Certainly, the mechanisms underlying CVD in people of different sexes have much in common, however, one cannot ignore the differences associated with fundamental genetic determinants of ageing, different characteristics of metabolism and fundamentally different types of hormonal status. It has been found that realization of activity of sex hormones is among major factors ensuring protection against cardiovascular disorders in premenopausal women. The increase in the rate of cardiovascular disorders and the lack of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) prescription to women in their post-reproductive stage may be partially correlated. Aim. To analyze the data provided by advanced scientific research focused on prescription of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) aimed at preventing cardiovascular disorders in the post-reproductive period. Methods. Analytical review of domestic and foreign papers on the topic, including using PubMed, Elseviewer, Cochrane library, Elibrary databases. Conclusions. Despite the fact that the issue of prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disorders attracts particular attention of global healthcare, CVDs still rank first in the world as the cause of deaths. In menopausal women, hypoestrogenism is among major pathogenetic links of cardiac abnormalities. To increase adherence of peri- and postmenopausal women to early diagnosis, general practitioners should give due consideration to referral of such women to obstetricians-gynecologists for timely correction of estrogen deficiency. It is also necessary to further study the issue in order to identify early diagnostic predictors of cardiovascular disorders.