OBJECTIVES:

To determine whether serum estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and inhibin B levels are associated with menometrorrhagia in perimenopausal women.

Study Design:

Forty-two perimenopausal women with menometrorrhagia and 42 age-matched regular-cycling women participated in this prospective study. Blood samples to measure serum estradiol, FSH, and inhibin B were collected in perimenopausal women with menometrorrhagia when they had vaginal bleeding. In women with regular cycles, those same samples were collected between cycle days 3 and 8. t test was used for statistical comparisons between the 2 groups.

RESULTS:

Mean inhibin B levels were lower in patients in the study group compared with patients in the control group (16.8 pg/mL vs 22.4 pg/mL), but this difference was not significant. Mean FSH values were not significantly different between patients in the study and control groups (17.4 IU/L vs 11.6 IU/L). However, mean estradiol values were significantly higher in patients in the study group than they were in the control group (127.1 pg/mL vs 39.3 pg/mL).

CONCLUSIONS:

High serum estradiol levels are associated with menometrorrhagia in perimenopausal women. However, a significant relation was not demonstrated between menometrorrhagia in perimenopausal women and levels of FSH and inhibin B.

Keywords: Estradiol, Inhibin B, FSH, Menometrorrhagia, Perimenopause