The study was carried out to evaluate the levels of sex hormones
(testosterone, progesterone & estradiol), six weeks post normal
ovariectomy as against estimating the levels immediately or less 48
hours after operation. 28 adult female albino rats of Wistar strain
were used. They were fed twice a day with Guinea pellets and tap water
was offered ad libitum. The animals were grouped into three. Group one
was sham operated and served as the control, group two was unilaterally
ovariectomised (right removed), group three was bilaterally
ovariectomised. The animals were sacrificed at the end of the study by
decapitation and the blood collected and assayed for sex hormones. The
levels of the sex hormones were measured using radioimmunoassay
technique. The results showed significant increase in testosterone
level in group 3 with decrease in group 2 which was not significant
when compared to group 1. On the progesterone levels, there were
significant decrease in group 3 and not 2 when compared to group 1.
Estradiol level showed significant decrease in only group 3. The
decrease in group 2 was not significant when compared with the control.
This work therefore does not propose a longer period of hormonal
estimation beyond 48 hours following ovariectomy as the results
obtained 6 weeks post ovariectomy did not differ or alter significantly
beyond 48 hours when compared with the work of Bast and Greenwald 1977,
Bulcher 1977, De Jong et al 1978. It is therefore concluded that sex
hormone values obtained 6 weeks after normal ovariectomy did not differ
significantly as was observed by various workers and confirmed by the
present study
