STUDIES ON THE INFLUENCE OF AGE ON OESTROGENS IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH ATROPHIC ENDOMETRIUM AND NORMAL LIVER FUNCTION

ABSTRACT A group of 104 post-menopausal women, who were at least 50 years old and with a time lapse of at least 2 years since the last menstruation, were investigated for their urinary oestrogen content. All the women had an atrophic endometrium as judged by histological investigation of a biopsy specimen. In 66 of the subjects the mean value of the karyopyknotic and eosinophilic indices in the vaginal smear was also calculated. The women, whose ages ranged from 50 to 79 years, were divided into 6 age groups. The median values for the excretion of oestrone, oestradiol, oestriol and total oestrogens and the mean karyopyknotic and eosinophilic indices for all age groups were very constant though there was considerable individual variation. It was also shown that the median values for all subjects were practically identical with those of 57 ovariectomized women reported in a previous study. It is concluded that in the majority of post-menopausal women with atrophic endometrium the ovarian contribution to the production of oestrogens is insignificant. It can also be concluded that with increasing age the normal liver does not significantly change the metabolism of oestrogens in post-menopausal women, as judged by the excretion of oestrone, oestradiol and oestriol, and the oestrogenic effect on the vaginal smear.