THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE ORAL DOSES OF 17-BETA-ESTRADIOL AND PROGESTERONE ON FINGER SKIN CIRCULATION IN HEALTHY WOMEN AND IN WOMEN WITH PRIMARY RAYNAUDS-PHENOMENON

The effects of sex, the menstrual cycle, oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and the menopause on skin perfusion in healthy women and in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon suggest a role of female sex hormones. However, no clear relation between skin blood flow and circulating concentrations of oestrogens or progestogens has yet been found. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of orally administered 17 beta-oestradiol and progesterone on finger skin blood flow before and during heat and cold challenge in 17 healthy normotensive women and in 12 women with Raynaud's phenomenon. In each subject standardized finger heating (45 degrees C water bath, 10 min) and cooling tests (15 degrees C water bath, 5 min and 20 min recovery) were performed twice on the second (or third) day of two consecutive menstrual cycles. 17 beta-Oestradiol (9 mg) or progesterone (300 mg) were given before the second test, after a first test with placebo. Both hormonal doses resulted in (high) physiological concentrations. Fingertip skin temperature and laser Doppler flux were measured. There were no significant differences in the test results after placebo and after progesterone. Although values of fingertip skin temperature and laser Doppler flux after 17 beta-oestradiol tended to be higher only the precooling values in the healthy subjects reached significance: fingertip skin temperature respectively with placebo and with oestradiol (mean (SD)): 32.7 (1.0) and 33.1 (0.8)degrees C; laser Doppler flux with placebo and with oestradiol: 33.6 (11.7) and 42.2 (9.5) perfusion units; both P < 0.05). In this study, single oral doses of female sex hormones had only minor effects on finger skin circulation, both in control subjects and in women with Raynaud's phenomenon.