Cao Yi, Zhang Le, Wei Jing, Liao Jingnan
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Hereditary Birth Defects Prevention and Control, Changsha Hospital for Maternal & Child Health Care Affiliated to Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025 Jun 10;16:1524870. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1524870. eCollection 2025.
This study aimed to explore the relationship between the timing of physical contact and the level of estradiol contamination in the skin after application of estradiol gel. Estradiol gel is a common medication used in menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and understanding its potential for contamination is crucial for ensuring patient safety and effective treatment.
The purpose of this hospital-based case-control study was to determine the correlation between the timing of physical contact and the degree of estradiol contamination following the administration of estradiol gel. This information is vital for advising patients on appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of estradiol transfer to others.
This study was conducted in the gynecology department of Changsha Hospital for Maternal & Child Health Care Affiliated to Hunan Normal University between 2021 and 2022. The participants included 40 menopausal women aged 40-60 years who required MHT and 40 women who did not use estradiol. The intervention involved physical contact after the administration of estradiol gel, and the main outcome measure was estradiol concentration on the skin. Skin estradiol levels were assessed at 10 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min post-application.
The results indicated that the estradiol levels in the skin of the estradiol gel group were 205.29 ± 79.33, 193.64 ± 61.17, 99.15 ± 37.34, and 110.83 ± 69.81 at 10 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min, respectively. In contrast, the estradiol content in the skin of the physical contact group was significantly lower, with levels of 65.87 ± 32.75, 59.06 ± 24.99, 7.95 ± 4.89, and 12.09 ± 3.71 at the same time points. Estradiol contamination was detected in all participants in the physical contact group; however, the levels were markedly lower than those in the estradiol gel group. In the estradiol gel group, estradiol levels remained stable within the first 30 min (p >0.05), rapidly decreased at 60 min (p <0.001) and remained stable from 60 min to 120 min (p >0.05). The trend in skin estrogen concentration over time in the physical contact group was consistent with that in the estradiol gel group.
The study concludes that physical contact following application of estradiol gel can lead to skin contamination. Therefore, it is recommended that patients avoid skin exposure for at least 60 min after applying estradiol gel and refrain from physical contact with others, especially infants, children, individuals with breast cancer or other sex hormone-dependent tumors, and pets to minimize the risk of estradiol transfer.
本研究旨在探讨雌二醇凝胶涂抹后身体接触时间与皮肤中雌二醇污染水平之间的关系。雌二醇凝胶是更年期激素治疗（MHT）中常用的药物，了解其潜在污染情况对于确保患者安全和有效治疗至关重要。
本项基于医院的病例对照研究旨在确定雌二醇凝胶给药后身体接触时间与雌二醇污染程度之间的相关性。这些信息对于指导患者采取适当预防措施以降低雌二醇转移至他人的风险至关重要。
本研究于2021年至2022年在湖南师范大学附属长沙妇幼保健院妇科进行。参与者包括40名年龄在40 - 60岁需要MHT的更年期女性和40名未使用雌二醇的女性。干预措施为雌二醇凝胶给药后进行身体接触，主要观察指标为皮肤中的雌二醇浓度。在涂抹后10分钟、30分钟、60分钟和120分钟评估皮肤雌二醇水平。
结果表明，雌二醇凝胶组在10分钟、30分钟、60分钟和120分钟时皮肤中的雌二醇水平分别为205.29±79.33、193.64±61.17、99.15±37.34和110.83±69.81。相比之下，身体接触组皮肤中的雌二醇含量显著更低，在相同时间点的水平分别为65.87±32.75、59.06±24.99、7.95±4.89和12.09±3.71。身体接触组的所有参与者均检测到雌二醇污染；然而，其水平明显低于雌二醇凝胶组。在雌二醇凝胶组中，雌二醇水平在前30分钟内保持稳定（p>0.05），在60分钟时迅速下降（p<0.001），并在60分钟至120分钟保持稳定（p>0.05）。身体接触组皮肤雌激素浓度随时间的变化趋势与雌二醇凝胶组一致。
该研究得出结论，雌二醇凝胶涂抹后进行身体接触会导致皮肤污染。因此，建议患者在涂抹雌二醇凝胶后至少60分钟内避免皮肤暴露，并避免与他人，尤其是婴儿、儿童、患有乳腺癌或其他性激素依赖性肿瘤的个体以及宠物进行身体接触，以降低雌二醇转移的风险。
