Development and Correlation of Menopausal Symptoms, Vaginal Smear and Urinary Gonadotrophin Changes Following Castration in 27 Women1

SIMULTANEOUS clinical studies and urinary gonadotrophin assays were conducted before and after bilaterals alpingo-oöphorectomy and hysterectomy in 27 women suffering from chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and/or uterine fibromyomata. Correlations made at the time of operation between the gonadotrophic titers, vaginal smears, endometrial structure and ovarian histology have been reported (1). In this communication, post-castrational changes in symptomatology, vaginal cytology and gonadotrophic output are described and correlated. Following castration frequent periodic observations were made of menopausal symptoms, vaginal smears and urinary gonadotrophic output. Urine for gonadotrophin assays was collected during the 12-hour over-night period before each interview with the patient. Vaginal smears were obtained at the time of the interview. The technic of urine assay and the preparation of the vaginal smears were described in the previous article (1). These studies were made on both the sixth and tenth post-operative days in 25 cases, on the sixth day in one of the remainder, and on the tenth day in the other case. Subsequent interviews were planned at two-week to three-week intervals, but absenteeism occurred in some instances.