EFFECTS OF HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY ON GROWTH-HORMONE SECRETION PATTERNS IN CORRELATION TO SOMATOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN HEALTHY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the influe nce of a continous estrogen, cyclic progesterone replacement therapy o n the secretion of growth hormone (GH) and IGF I as well as of somatom etric-GH correlation patterns. Methods: The study included 23 healthy postmenopausal women. Of the proband group 13 randomly selected women were treated with orally applicated 2 mg estradiol-valerat (E2V) and 1 0 mg dydrogesterone for 10 months. Ten women did not receive any hormo nal treatment during this time. After 10 months all probands were reex amined and their GH and IGF I secretion, as well as their somatometric h-hormonal correlation patterns, compared with those of a fertile cont rol group. Results: It could be shown, that in postmenopausal women a 10-month oral hormone replacement therapy led to a significant increas e of GH- and IGF I levels, however, the treated postmenopausal women d id not reach the levels of the fertile controls. Those women who did n ot receive any hormonal treatment and the postmenopausal women before HRT showed nearly identical GH- and IGF I levels as well as somatometr ic-GH correlation patterns. Conclusions: The results of the present pa per indicate a marked influence of estrogens on GH and IGF I secretion . Furthermore, hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) may influence somato metric GH correlation patterns too.