HORMONE PRODUCTION BY THE POSTMENOPAUSAL OVARY IN CASES OF BENIGN OVARIAN NEOPLASIA

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether hormon e production by postmenopausal ovaries containing benign ovarian tumor s differed from that of normal postmenopausal ovaries. STUDY DESIGN: T he sera of 32 postmenopausal patients were assayed before and after bi lateral oophorectomy for estrone, 17beta-estradiol, androstenedione, t estosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. The data from all pat ients as a group were analyzed, followed by analysis of the data from 15 patients with normal ovaries separately from the remaining 17 patie nts who had nonfunctioning, benign ovarian tumors. RESULTS: For patien ts with benign ovarian tumors there was a statistically significant dr op in estrone (from a presurgical level of 55.8 +/- 46.3 pg/ml to a po stoperative level of 29.9 +/- 10.2 pg/ml, p < 0.03) and 17beta-estradi ol (from 18.6 +/- 14.1 pg/ml preoperatively to 9.8 +/- 3.8 pg/ml posto peratively, p < 0.02). For postmenopausal woman with normal ovaries th ere was no significant drop in estrone or 17beta-estradiol after bilat eral oophorectomy. There was a statistically significant drop in testo sterone and androstenedione after bilateral oophorectomy both for wome n with normal ovaries and for those with benign tumors. No significant differences in dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were noted in either gr oup. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that, although normal postmenopau sal ovaries have not been demonstrated to secrete clinically significa nt amounts of estrogen, those that contain benign ovarian tumors do se crete small but significant amounts of estrone and 17beta-estradiol. B oth tumor-containing and normal ovaries secrete the androgens androste nedione and testosterone, this secretion not being significantly influ enced by the presence of a tumor.