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Abstract
There is increasing evidence that the postmenopausal ovary retains some endocrine
function and thus can contribute a certain extent to the persistence of the vaginal
epithelium proliferation a long time after the cessation of menstruations. Vaginal
cytology plays an important role in the assessment of the vaginal epithelium response
to hormonal stimuli, though less accurate than the blood and the urine estimations.
It was established that there was a good correlation between the vaginal cytology
and the biochemical estimations [2]. The fact that vaginal cytology cannot distinguish
the proliferative patterns induced by estrogens, progesterone and androgens is true.
With this in mind we did a cytological study in postmenopausal women, using our classification
for the cytological typing based on the depth of the epithelial atrophy. The findings
are discussed with special reference to the ethnic origin, reproductive life and concurrent
illnesses.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 7,
1979
Received:
August 21,
1978
Identification
Copyright
© 1979 Published by Elsevier Inc.
