A mouse model of the perimenopausal transition: importance for cardiovascular research.

The postmenopausal population of the U.S. is expected to reach 40 million in the next decade, accounting for 33% of all women and 15% to 20% of all adult Americans. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) will be a leading cause of death among these women, while osteoporosis and resulting fractures will affect up to half of women, and many others will experience significant cognitive decline.1 Results of prospective clinical trials indicate that neither estrogen nor estrogen progestin hormone therapy reduces the risk of CVD in postmenopausal women.2,3 As such, a major interest of health professionals is to better understand the determinants of CVD risk of women before becoming postmenopausal.