Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Pluchino, Nicola
• Ninni, Filippo
• Stomati, Massimo
• Freschi, Letizia
• Casarosa, Elena
• Valentino, Valeria
• Luisi, Stefano
• Genazzani, Alessandro D
• Potì, Elena
• Genazzani, Andrea R

Titel

One-year therapy with 10 mg/day DHEA alone or in combination with HRT in postmenopausal women: Effects on hormonal milieu

Ist Teil von

• Maturitas, 2008-04, Vol.59 (4), p.293-303

Ort / Verlag

Shannon: Elsevier Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2008

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects on hormonal milieu of 1-year therapy with 10 mg/day oral dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or 50 μg transdermal estradiol plus 100 mg/day oral micronized progesterone in a group of 20 healthy postmenopausal women (age = 50–58 and years since menopause (ysm) = 1–6) and also the effects observed by combining these two therapies in a group of 12 postmenopausal women (age = 54–61 and ysm = 6–10) characterized by lower baseline DHEA and DHEAS levels (<2.40 and <0.55 μg/ml, respectively). DHEA produced a significant rise in androgens levels, whereas HRT did not. Moreover, DHEA alone induced a significantly lower increase in estrogens and beta-endorphin levels and a higher decrease in cortisol levels than HRT. DHEA and HRT also produced a significant similar increase in allopregnanolone levels. DHEA plus HRT induced a significantly higher increase in testosterone and estradiol and a lower increase in allopregnanolone and beta-endorphin levels and a significantly lower decrease in cortisol levels than HRT alone treated group. A similar increase was observed in progesterone and SHBG levels in all groups. These results suggest that 10-mg DHEA seems to be the proper dose to replace androgen deficiency in subjects with reduced Delta-5 androgens plasma levels. However, the aging process and the number of years since menopause may further modulate the effects of hormone therapy on hormonal milieu.