Evidence accumulated over the past decade show that gonadal steroid hormones participate in an important way in the physiological and pa thophysiological regulation of the cardiovascular system. The hor monal profile appears to put males at a disadvantage biologically in terms of cardiovascular diseases. The incidence of hypertension is higher in men than in pre-monopausal women indicating an influence of gender on the hypertensive disease process. Males and females have equivalent cholesterol levels until puberty but males suffer an ex ponential increase in heart disease in their forties,...