THE EFFECT OF ACUTE ETHANOL INGESTION ON ESTROGEN-LEVELS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN USING TRANSDERMAL ESTRADIOL

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether acute alcohol ingestion raises estradiol (E2) and estone (E1) levels in a randomized, controlled, crossover study on postmenopausal women using transdermal E2. METHODS: Healthy, non-smoking postmenopausal women (n = 7) using no medications were enrolled. Transdermal E2, 0.15 mg, was applied 13 hours before the subjects ingested alcohol (1 mL/kg 95% ethanol) or isacaloric carbohydrate punch. Serum samples were obtained for 40 minutes before drink ingestion and and hours after drink ingestion and were assayed for E2 and E1. RESULTS: Ethanol levels peaked 60 minutes after the start of ethanol-drink ingestion, at 25.4 mmol/L (117 mg/dL). Estradiol levels rose significantly above the mean baseline of 657 pmol/L (179 pg/mL) after ethanol-drink ingestion (P less than or equal to .01), with a mean peak of 804 pmol/L (219 pg/mL) 35 minutes after the start of drink ingestion, and weve significantly greater than the E2 levels that followed the carbohydrate drink (P less than or equal to .0001). There were no significant changes in E2 or E1 levels after carbohydrate-drink ingestion. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ethanol ingestion may acutely raise circulating E2 concentrations in women using tranrdermal E2.