Peripheral hormone levels and the endometrial condition in postmenopausal women

Thirteen postmenopausal women with benign endometrial changes including proliferative, secretory and polypous endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and atypia (group I) and 13 randomly selected age-matched controls with normal atrophic endometrium (group II) were studied with respect to serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and its sulfate (DHAS), testosterone, total estrone, estradiol-17 beta, progesterone, FSH and prolactin. Serum levels of DHA, DHAS, testosterone and total estrone were significantly higher in group I than in group II; otherwise no significant differences were found. Mean values for body weight and for Broca's index, respectively, were almost identical in the two groups. It is speculated that the adrenal androgens may affect the endometrium in two ways, viz. via peripheral conversion to estrogens and/or via direct interaction with endometrial steroid receptors. The results give further support to the hypothesis of an association between adrenocortical hyperactivity and endometrial abnormalities including endometrial carcinoma.