Levels of which of the following hormones are increased in post menopausal women:September 2011, March 2013
Ans. B: FSHThe ovarian changes in menopause are not due to lack of anterior pituitary gonadotropins (FSH and LH) which actually increase, as negative effect of estrogen and progesterone is reduced.Ovaries no longer secrete 17-beta-pestradiolMenopauseThe stages of the menopause transition have been classified according to a woman's repoed bleeding pattern, suppoed by changes in the pituitary follicle stimulating hormone/ FSH levels.In younger women, during a normal menstrual cycle the ovaries produce estradiol, testosterone and progesterone in a cyclical pattern under the control of FSH and luteinising hormone (LH) which are both produced by the pituitary gland.Blood estradiol levels remain relatively unchanged, or may increase approaching the menopause, but are usually well preserved until the late perimenopause.This is presumed to be in response to elevated FSH levels.Menopause is based on the natural or surgical cessation of estradiol and progesterone production by the ovaries, which are a pa of the body's endocrine system of hormone production, in this case the hormones which make reproduction possible and influence sexual behavior.After menopause, estrogen continues to be produced in other tissues, notably the ovaries, but also in bone, blood vessels and even in the brain.However the dramatic fall in circulating estradiol levels at menopause impacts many tissues, from brain to skin.In contrast to the sudden fall in estradiol during menopause, the levels of total and free testosterone, as well as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstenedione decline more or less steadily with age.
Estrogen
FSH
Progesterone
Coisone