Ovaries, androgens and the menopause: practical applications.

The ovaries are a major site of production of circulating androgens during the postmenopausal years. This includes the production of testosterone. Bilateral oophorectomy can lead to a reduction in circulating testosterone levels of nearly fifty percent. Several experimental conditions have confirmed that the postmenopausal ovarian androgen production is regulated through gonadotropins and that exogenous hormones can modulate this androgen production. The function of the postmenopausal ovaries must be considered in light of these data. This body of information introduces an important consideration in the debate over elective oophorectomy at the time of unrelated gynecologic surgery.