Objective: The main known risk factors for coronary heart disease in women, other than age, which is the most important risk factor of all, are cigarette smoking, raised blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and premature menopause, especially after ovarectomy. Design: Retrospective clinical study. Setting: Medical building, Prague 7, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology 3rd Medical Faculty Charles University and Faculty Hospital Vinohrady, Prague 10. Methods: In 1995 and 1996 we investigated plasma lipid levels and bone density in 75 women, 3 to 5 years after ovarectomy without HRT (group A). The results were compared with a control group (group B) of women of the same age and BMI. This group of women had normal menstruation periods. We investigated age, body mass index, bone density, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, ateroghenic index and triglycerides. Results: When we compared groups A and B, there was a better result in all serum lipid levels in group B, but not significantly. In group A was more women with pathological level of HDL-cholesterol. In group A there was a significantly lower level of bone density than in group B and there was an increase in the number of patients with osteoporosis in this group. Conclusions: Castration in premenopause had no influence in mean levels of parameters of lipid metabolism, but bone density significantly decreased after castration in this period.

        Key words: menopause, castration, lipids, bone density