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Conjunctiva is an estrogen-sensitive epithelium
D Vavilis1, S Maloutas, M Nasioutziki
1Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotelian University of Thessalonoiki, Greece.
Background:
To investigate whether the conjunctival epithelium shows cyclical maturation changes during the ovarian cycle and to study the cytological appearance of the conjunctiva in postmenopausal and pregnant women.
Patients:
Fifteen menstruating women with ovulatory cycles, ten postmenopausal women, and twelve pregnant women in the second or the third trimester of their pregnancy.
Interventions:
Conjunctival and vaginal smears were taken on a near-daily basis.
Main Outcome Measures:
The percentage of the parabasal, the intermediate and the superficial cells (Maturation Index) in each specimen was determined.
Results:
In the conjunctival smears of the menstruating women cyclical maturation changes were noted. These changes were parallel to those of the vaginal smears, but to a minor degree. No cyclical changes were found in either the postmenopausal women or in the pregnant women, showing an extreme shift to the left in the Maturation Index.
Conclusion:
Conjunctiva appears to be a relatively estrogen-sensitive epithelium.