A preliminary study of the changes in sex hormone levels in female patients with liver cirrhosis

Objective To investigate the characteristics of the changes in sex hormone levels in female patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods A total of 30 female patients with liver cirrhosis who visited or were hospitalized in Beijing Ditan Hospital,Capital Medical University from September 2014 to June 2015 were enrolled as liver cirrhosis group,and 30 non- cirrhotic female patients who had no chronic liver disease and visited the hospital due to other diseases or underwent physical examination were enrolled as the control group. The serum levels of estradiol( E_2),follicle- stimulating hormone( FSH),luteinizing hormone( LH),prolactin( PRL),progesterone( PRGE),and testosterone( T) were measured in both groups,and the proportion of menopausal women and sex hormone levels were compared between the two groups. The chi- square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups,and the t- test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups. Results There were 13 menopausal women( 43. 33%) in the control group and 23( 76. 67%) in the liver cirrhosis group,and the liver cirrhosis group had a significantly higher proportion of menopausal women than the control group( χ~2= 6. 944,P = 0. 008). Compared with the control group,the liver cirrhosis group had a significantly lower level of E_2( t = 4. 489,P < 0. 01) and significantly higher levels of FSH and T( t =- 5. 010 and- 4. 082,both P < 0. 01). Conclusion There are differences in the levels of some sex hormones between female patients with liver cirrhosis and healthy women,and female patients with liver cirrhosis have different characteristics of the changes in sex hormone levels from male counterparts,which may be related to the development and progression of chronic liver diseases. This suggests that sex hormone therapy for patients with liver cirrhosis needs further investigation.