Twenty two weeks of transdermal estradiol increases sex hormone-binding globulin in surgical menopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of continuous noncombined transdermal estradiol versus oral conjugated estrogen on serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels prior to and during the 10th and 22nd weeks of therapy in patients with surgical menopause.


METHODS
Open, comparative trial. Patients were consecutively assigned to three groups: group 1 (n = 18) received continuous transdermal estradiol (0.050 mg/day), group 2 (n = 18) continuous oral conjugated estrogens (0.625 mg/day), whereas group 3 (n = 15) received no treatment. Serum SHBG levels were determined before treatment and after 10 and 22 weeks of treatment.


RESULTS
Serum SHBG increased significantly with oral conjugated estrogens at 10 (p < 0.01) and 22 weeks (p < 0.01) compared with baseline. With transdermal estrogens there was a much smaller increase of SHBG. At 22 weeks, this increase was significant compared with baseline (p < 0.05), but not compared with the control group (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Transdermal estrogen has no effect on SHBG, whereas oral conjugated estrogens causes considerable increase.
Başbuğ
M
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey.
Aygen
E
E
Tayyar
M
M
Muhtaroğlu
S
S
Demir
I
I
Okten
S
S
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004958:Estradiol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008594:Menopause, Premature; D008875:Middle Aged; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism*
D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D004958:Estradiol