Glucose tolerance of premenopausal women after menopause due to surgical removal of ovaries

Objective To evaluate the influence of the abrupt withdrawal of ovarian function on glucose tolerance by studying premenopausal women before and after oophorectomy. Methods Thirty premenopausal women who needed hysterectomy for benign reasons volunteered for the study in our hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed before surgery and 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Fasting glucose, fasting insulin levels and insulin/glucose indexes, HOMA indexes, insulin and glucose levels were measured during OGTT. Results The mean fasting and 2-h glucose levels of the women did not change significantly during the 12 months of follow-up. However, the glucose levels during the glucose tolerance tests changed significantly after surgery (p < 0.05). Insulin responses to the glucose tolerance test also increased significantly (p < 0.005). Insulin/glucose indexes were significantly higher after surgery (p < 0.005). Type 2 diabetes mellitus was detected in five women and impaired glucose tolerance was detected in 12 of the 30 patients after surgery in the 12-month period. Conclusion The impairment of carbohydrate metabolism due to an abrupt decrease in natural estrogen levels should be considered before removing the ovaries during hysterectomy in premenopausal patients.