[Endocrinological analysis of climacteric symptoms and gonadal dysfunction by CRF test]

Endocrinological studies on stressed climacteric women and some cases of gonadal dysfunction were carried out by analysing blood levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) and beta-endorphin (beta-EP) after the administration of synthetic corticotropin releasing factor (CRF, CRF test). Our results can be summarized as follows: 1. The responsiveness to CRF in perimenopausal and ovariectomized women rose and it corresponded with those of post gonadectomy in testicular feminization. 2. Responsiveness to CRF was decreased as estrogen levels decreased with the patient's age, and a similar tendency was observed in gonadal dysfunction. 3. Climacteric women with non-specific complaints have a higher responsiveness to CRF than that of postmenopausal women without complaints. Subjects with a high K.I score and with severe hot flush showed higher responsiveness to CRF than other subjects. These data suggest that CRF and its related hormones may be correlative with stress and hot flushes in climacteric periods and endogenous CRF may play an important psychosomatic role by regulating the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal function where there is decreased estrogen.