Cytological assessment of climacteric patients.

The cytohormonal method using the upper lateral vaginal wall is an inexpensive, rapid, painless, effective and simple technique for measuring hormone effect in the human. With proper safeguards, one can evaluate the proliferative effect of oestrogens. The astute experienced clinician can use this test as one of several parameters to study the menopause and some of its related metabolic and neoplastic conditions. The cytohormonal proliferated condition (KI) cannot, and should not, be used as the only criterion for diagnosis and therapy. The presence of cells showing low levels of proliferation would be a valid measure of oestrogen lack and clinical need. This evaluation of the low end of the proliferation scale (low intermediate and parabasal cells) would more likely be useful and certainly more consistent with cytohormonal reality.