Abstract
In the human species follicular depletion of the ovaries and exhaustion of their gametogenic and endocrine functions are somewhat precocious events. They result in irregular, frequently anovulatory, cycles and finally in menopausal amenorrhoea. Within two years after the menopause the ovaries secrete only insignificant quantities of oestrogens but still substantial amounts of androgens. Oestrone becomes the major circulating post-menopausal oestrogen and this arises almost entirely from the peripheral conversion of androstenedione. This latter hormone originates mainly from the adrenals and to a lesser extent from the ovaries. The decrease in circulating oestrogens after the menopause is attended by a dramatic elevation in blood levels of FSH and LH reflecting an increased production of both these gonadotrophins in the absence of a negative feed-back system.
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van Keep, P.A., Utian, W.H., Vermeulen, A. (1982). Neuroendocrine changes in the peri-menopause. In: van Keep, P.A., Utian, W.H., Vermeulen, A. (eds) The Controversial Climacteric. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7253-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7253-0_7
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