EFFECT OF SURGICALLY INDUCED HYPOESTRINISM ON IMMUNOREGULATION IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

The object of the present study was to investigate the effect of bilat eral oophorectomy (OOX) on CD4+ and CD8+ subsets of T-lymphocytes in 8 immunologically healthy perimenopausal women with regular bleeding. B etween the 12th and 16th week after OOX, CD8+ (%) increased in all of the investigated women (mean values compared to values before OOX: 37. 8 +/- 3.4 vs 26 +/- 4.13, p < 0.05). CD4+ increased in five women, and decreased in another three (means: 36.4 +/- 3.6 vs 38 +/- 4.6). The i mmunoregulatory index (CD4+/CD8+ ratio) declined in seven women, while it was unchanged in one (means: 1.09 +/- 0.2 vs 1.71 +/- 0.22, p < 0. 05). The compliance of the treatment was controlled by serum estrogen, LH and FSH. From these results it is apparent that surgically induced hypoestrinism inhibits immunoregulation in perimenopausal women.