ESTROGENIC THERAPY IN GYNECOLOGY

THE estrogens are the most widely used and abused of endocrinal substances. When they are used physiologically and intelligently they are valuable preparations. However, there are those who feel that their widespread misuse may more than outweigh their value. In these random comments we shall discuss a few observations on the use of estrogens. The ingenuity of our chemists and pharmaceutical companies has provided us with a host of preparations. In the first place there are the natural estrogens and their derivatives. The basic substances estradiol, estriol and estrone have been extracted from a variety of sources. Estradiol is the most potent naturally-occurring estrogen; estriol and estrone are much less potent, for these are the products of metabolism of estradiol. The naturallyoccurring estrogens are available in pure form, in impure mixtures such as the conjugated estrogens, and as synthetic derivatives such as ethinyl estradiol. Lastly, there are the stilbene-hexane compounds, chemically unrelated t...