Alcohol effects on plasma luteinizing hormone levels in menopausal women

Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were determined in five healthy post-menopausal adult females prior to, during, and following a period of acute alcohol intoxication. LH levels were also determined in the same women following acute administration of a nonalcoholic beverage which had identical isocaloric value of alcohol. Plasma samples were collected at 30-minute intervals from an indwelling intravenous catheter from 120 minutes prior to alcohol or isocaloric beverage administration to 300 minutes following beverage intake. All women became moderately intoxicated after acute alcohol administration and developed peak blood alcohol levels of 94 mg per dl between 60 to 90 minutes following alcohol intake. LH levels determined before administration of alcohol or isocaloric beverage were not significantly different and were within the range of normal values for healthy, post-menopausal women. No significant differences were found between LH levels following alcohol administration when compared with LH values after isocaloric beverage. These data indicate that acute alcohol intake which produces blood alcohol levels slightly below usual legal limits of intoxication does not suppress LH in post-menopausal females. Since post-menopausal females do not have significant estradiol feedback control of LH secretory activity, and since LH secretory activity in post-menopausal women (in contrast to pre-menopausal females) is more sensitive to the inhibitory actions of drugs which may affect adrenergic and dopaminergic pathways in brain, the findings obtained in this study do not support an acute alcohol effect upon hypothalamic-pituitary modulation of gonadotrophin release in humans.