Sammendrag
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the hormonal
changes during the menopausal transition in a non-clinical population.
Methods: Fifty-nine healthy Norwegian women participated in a five
years prospective longitudinal study during the transition from pre- to
post-menopause, starting one to four years before menopause, and ending
one to four years postmenopausal. None of these women were given
hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Blood samples were collected every
12 months and luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone
(FSH), steroid hormone binding globuline (SHBG), prolactin (PRL),
estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), testosterone, androstendione,
dehydroepiandrostendione - sulphate (DHEA-S), and thyroid stimulating
hormone (TSH) were analysed. Results: The serum levels of FSH and LH,
E2 and E1 profile essentially confirmed previous data obtained in
cross-sectional studies. A continuous increase in serum FSH and LH and
a concomitant fall in E2 and E1 were observed in all women before
menopause and in the two postmenopausal years. Both androstendione and
testosterone showed a decline three years before menopause. After the
menopause, however, there were fluctuations in the testosterone levels.
Androstendione correlated positively with both E2 and E1 and
testosterone postmenopausally. Body Mass Index (BMI) did correlate with
testosterone, but not with androstendione. BMI correlated negatively
with SHBG. No correlation was found between BMI and E2, E1, FSH and LH.
Conclusion: This longitudinal prospective study of hormonal changes
during the transition from pre - to postmenopause indicates that not
only estrogen hormonal changes, but androgen hormonal changes as well
precedes the menopause by several years.
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