Cyclic changes in conjunctival smears from menstruating females

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Endocrinology
• Cytology

Background:

• Cytohormonal evaluation accurately assesses estrogenic effects on mucosal tissues like vaginal and buccal mucosa.
• These tissues exhibit cyclical variations in their maturation index, reflecting estrogenic influence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether conjunctival smears can also reflect estrogenic effects.
• To determine if the conjunctiva exhibits cyclical variations in its maturation index.

Main Methods:

• Collected daily conjunctival smears from 11 premenopausal and 7 postmenopausal women without ocular surface disease.
• Performed Papanicolaou staining and blind assessment of maturation indices by a cytologist.
• Correlated maturation index values with the menstrual cycle.

Main Results:

• Eight of nine premenopausal women showed cyclical variations in maturation index (30-82), peaking around days 11 and 21.
• Postmenopausal women and those with endocrine abnormalities showed no cyclical changes, with values ranging from 30-38.
• These findings indicate a correlation between conjunctival maturation and estrogen levels.

Conclusions:

• The conjunctiva appears to be an estrogen-sensitive epithelium.
• Conjunctival maturation index can serve as a potential indicator of estrogenic status.