Essentially before menopause, women usually
have total cholesterol levels that are lower than
those of men of the same age. As women and
men get older, their blood cholesterol levels rise
until about 60-65 years of age. In women, menopause
often causes an increase in their LDL
cholesterol and a decrease in their HDL cholesterol
level, and after the age of 50, women often
have higher total cholesterol levels than men of
the same age [Kreisberg and Kasim, 1987]. This
may well be one factor as to why the incidence of
atherosclerotic disease rises dramatically in postmenopausal
women.