Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone and thyrotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus of women: effects of age and reproductive status.
In the study of the effects of age and reproductive status on LHRH and TRH content in the hypothalamus of women, we found that the amount of LHRH (58 +/- 5.5 ng; mean +/- SE) in the hypothalamus of young women (16-29 yr) was significantly greater (P less than 0.001) than that (28 +/- 3.0 ng) in postmenopausal women (50-78 yr). The hypothalamic content of LHRH (18 +/- 2.4 ng) of bilaterally ovariectomized women (39-47 yr) was significantly less (P less than 0.001) than that (60 +/- 12.6 ng) in younger ovulatory women (30-39 yr) or that (56 +/- 13.5 ng) in ovulatory women of comparable age (40-49 yr). In contrast, the hypothalamic content of TRH (121.4 +/- 32.8 ng) in postmenopausal women were similar to that (122.3 +/- 12.5 ng) in young women. Although aging in women is associated with a significant reduction in the amount of LHRH in the hypothalamus, such a reduction appears to be a consequence of ovarian failure and not of aging per se.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D002369:Castration; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010060:Ovulation; D012098:Reproduction; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone