Vasomotor flushes and the release of peripheral immunoreactive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in postmenopausal women.

The plasma concentrations of immunoreactive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (IR-LH-RH) and LH and the peripheral skin temperature of symptomatic menopausal women were recorded continuously and compared with those of asymptomatic menopausal women. These studies were performed by an intermittent withdrawal technique (n = 13) and a continuous withdrawal technique (n = 3). The mean plasma concentration of IR-LH-RH was much higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic women by both methods of analysis. Large episodic secretory spikes of IR-LH-RH and a temporal correlation between the IR-LH-RH spikes and temperature elevations was found (P less than or equal to 0.025) only in symptomatic women.