Sex Hormones and Blood PCSK9 Levels

This study measures a recently discovered protein named PCSK9 (Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9) in blood to see if it is influenced by male and female sex hormones. PCSK9 has recently been shown to control cholesterol and triglyceride levels by diminishing the ability of liver cells to remove cholesterol from blood leading to high blood cholesterol levels. It was found in previous studies that there was a relationship between blood levels of PCSK9 and cholesterol in men but not in women. This gender difference is a new finding and it raises the question of whether male and female hormones might influence PCSK9's role as a blood cholesterol regulator. The study requires a pre-treatment fasting blood sample and another sample 3 months after starting hormone therapy.