MENSTRUAL CYCLE IN WOMEN ADDICTED TO ALCOHOL DURING THE FIRST WEEK FOLLOWING DRINKING CESSATION--CHANGES OF SEX HORMONES LEVELS IN RELATION TO SELECTED CLINICAL FEATURES

AIMS: To assess the prevalence of hormonal dysfunction in women addicted to alcohol during first week following drinking cessation; to determine whether fluctuations of hormone levels in follicular, ovulation and luteal phases in addicted women are equal to those normally found in healthy women; to determine the association between hormonal imbalances with selected clinical features. METHODS: Biochemical parameters of liver function and hormone levels were assessed in 30 women treated for 30 days in a Short Term Therapy and Detoxification Ward. The following hormones were measured: prolactin (PROL), folliculotropin (FSH), luteotropin (LH), estradiol (ES) and testosterone (TEST)--(i) after menstruation, at follicular phase, between 5th and 7th day of the cycle; (ii) around ovulation, 11-14th day of the cycle; and (iii) before menstruation, at luteal phase, between 19th and 22th day of the cycle. RESULTS: Mean PROL levels in all three cycle phases and progesterone level in follicular phase were above, while mean TEST level was below, the reference values. Over 50% of women had abnormally increased PROL values in all phases of the cycle while decreased values of PROG or LH were found in approximately 50% and >30% of study women. CONCLUSIONS: The menstrual cycle disturbances in alcoholic women are most prominent around the middle part of the cycle and age influences the pattern of hormonal changes.