Effect of ovariectomy on the level of plasma sex hormones in albino rats.

The study was carried out to evaluate the levels of sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone and estradiol), six weeks post normal ovariectomy as against estimating the levels immediately or less 48 hours after operation. 28 adult female albino rats of Wistar strain were used. They were fed twice a day with Guinea pellets and tap water was offered ad libitum. The animals were grouped into three. Group one was sham operated and served as the control, group two was unilaterally ovariectomised (right removed), group three was bilaterally ovariectomised. The animals were sacrificed at the end of the study by decapitation and the blood collected and assayed for sex hormones. The levels of the sex hormones were measured using radioimmunoassay technique. The results showed significant increase in testosterone level in group 3 with decrease in group 2 which was not significant when compared to group 1. On the progesterone levels, there were significant decrease in group 3 and not 2 when compared to group 1. Estradiol level showed significant decrease in only group 3. The decrease in group 2 was not significant when compared with the control. This work therefore does not propose a longer period of hormonal estimation beyond 48 hours following ovariectomy as the results obtained 6 weeks post ovariectomy did not differ or alter significantly beyond 48 hours when compared with the work of Bast and Greenwald 1977, Bulcher 1977, De Jong et al 1978. It is therefore concluded that sex hormone values obtained 6 weeks after normal ovariectomy did not differ significantly as was observed by various workers and confirmed by the present study.