Desoxycorticosterone Acetate Is Estrogenic in the Human Female

Summary and Conclusions

Typical estrogenic effects were produced with synthetic adrenal cortex hormone (desoxycorticosterone acetate) in the vaginal smears of post-menopause women. On the basis of these observations, it is suggested that the estrogens excreted after the menopause or after surgical castration probably have their origin in the adrenal cortex. This may explain the persistence of estrogen effects in the vaginal mucosa and vaginal smears after surgical castration and may, possibly, also account for individual variations in the severity of symptoms experienced at the menopause or after surgical castration.