The effect of acute ethanol ingestion on estrogen levels in postmenopausal women using transdermal estradiol.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether acute alcohol ingestion raises estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) levels in a randomized, controlled, crossover study on postmenopausal women using transdermal E2.

METHODS

Healthy, non-smoking postmenopausal women (n = 7) using no medications were enrolled. Transdermal E2, 0.15 mg, was applied 13 hours before the subjects ingested alcohol (1 mL/kg 95% ethanol) or isocaloric carbohydrate punch. Serum samples were obtained for 40 minutes before drink ingestion and 6 hours after drink ingestion and were assayed for E2 and E1.

RESULTS

Ethanol levels peaked 60 minutes after the start of ethanol-drink ingestion, at 25.4 mmol/L (117 mg/dL). Estradiol levels rose significantly above the mean baseline of 657 pmol/L (179 pg/mL) after ethanol-drink ingestion (P < or = .01), with a mean peak of 804 pmol/L (219 pg/mL) 35 minutes after the start of drink ingestion, and were significantly greater than the E2 levels that followed the carbohydrate drink (P < or = .0001). There were no significant changes in E2 or E1 levels after carbohydrate-drink ingestion.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that ethanol ingestion may acutely raise circulating E2 concentrations in women using transdermal E2.