Post menopausal women present an increase of cardiovascular risk associated with the atherogenic plasma lipoproteins IDL and LDL. Our purpose was to study the composition of VLDL, IDL and the subfractions IDL-1 and IDL-2, and the Lipoprotein Lipase and Hepatic Lipase activities in a group of twelve healthy post menopausal women as compared with eleven fertile controls. The mean values of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were significantly increased in the post menopausal group compared to the controls (p < 0.005 and p < 0.001 respectively). The contribution of the HDL-cholesterol plasma concentration to total cholesterol was lower in the postmenopausal women (p < 0.02) although no one had HDL-cholesterol lower than 35 mg/dl and the mean value was 50 mg/dl. Postmenopausal women had increased concentrations of VLDL, total IDL and IDL-2 compared to controls (p < 0.05, p < 0.005 and p < 0.001 respectively). Plasma concentrations of total IDL was increased in postmenopausal women (33.6 +/- 3.4 vs 22.6 +/- 0.8 mg/dl, p < 0.005). The increase in total IDL was due to IDL-2 (19.9 +/- 1.7 vs 11.5 +/- 0.8 mg/dl, p < 0.001, in postmenopausal women vs controls). The IDL-2 subfraction was 60 +/- 2.6% of total IDL in postmenopausal women and 51 +/- 2.0% in controls (p < 0.02). In postmenopausal women and in controls the ratio triglyceride/protein (which indicates particles size) was significantly higher in IDL-1 than in IDL-2 (p < 0.005 and p < 0.01 respectively), but this ratio did not show differences when VLDL, total IDL and IDL-2 were compared between postmenopausal and control women. Then, the increased plasma concentration of these lipoproteins would show an increased number of particles in the postmenopausal women vs controls. There were no differences in the Lipoprotein Lipase and Hepatic Lipase activities between both groups. Lipoprotein Lipase vs total IDL-triglycerides and IDL-2-triglycerides showed a significant inverse correlation in controls (p < 0.05) but not in postmenopausal women. We conclude that the qualitative and quantitative study of the lipoproteins shows a more atherogenic profile in the postmenopausal group, with an increase in the concentration and number of particles of VLDL, total IDL and IDL-2.