The role of the endocrine thymus in female reproduction.

Neonatal thymectomy in mice induces ovarian disturbances, indicating some relationship between the thymus and the ovaries. The mechanism of the relationship, however, is not fully understood. One approach to elucidating the complex relationship has been to measure circulating hormone levels in thymectomized animals and those with small thymus glands, and compare these levels with those found in control animals. The data indicate that a thymus-pituitary-ovarian axis exists and that thymus disturbances may hasten the aging processes of the ovaries.