Evaluation of ADAMTS12, ADAMTS16, ADAMTS18 and IL-33 serum levels in pre-eclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: Pre-eclampsia is the result of impaired trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling managed by inflammatory response in its etiology and physiopathology. The aim of this study was to compare serum molecules including IL-33, ADAMTS12, ADAMTS16 and ADAMTS18 levels between pre-eclampsia and control groups and to investigate the role of these molecules in pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Forty-one women diagnosed as pre-eclampsia between 30 and 40 weeks of gestation and 41 non-complicated pregnant women were enrolled in this cross-sectional, case-control prospective study. ELISA method was used to determine IL-33, ADAMTS12, ADAMTS16 and ADAMTS18 levels within serums in two groups. RESULTS: Serum ADAMTS12 and IL-33 levels were significantly lower in pre-eclampsia group (p < 0.001 and p: 0.028, respectively), however, in sub-group analysis, no significant difference was observed (p > 0.05). The cut-off value of ADAMTS12 levels to discriminate pre-eclampsia with %73.17 sensitivity and %92.68 specificity was 8.27 ng/ml while the cut-off value for IL-33 was 0.23 pg/ml with 82.93% sensitivity and 53.66% specificity. CONCLUSION: Pre-eclampsia is associated with lower serum IL-33 and ADAMTS12 levels.

Estimating the chance of success in IVF treatment using a ranking algorithm.

In medicine, estimating the chance of success for treatment is important in deciding whether to begin the treatment or not. This paper focuses on the domain of in vitro fertilization (IVF), where estimating the outcome of a treatment is very crucial in the decision to proceed with treatment for both the clinicians and the infertile couples. IVF treatment is a stressful and costly process. It is very stressful for couples who want to have a baby. If an initial evaluation indicates a low pregnancy rate, decision of the couple may change not to start the IVF treatment. The aim of this study is twofold, firstly, to develop a technique that can be used to estimate the chance of success for a couple who wants to have a baby and secondly, to determine the attributes and their particular values affecting the outcome in IVF treatment. We propose a new technique, called success estimation using a ranking algorithm (SERA), for estimating the success of a treatment using a ranking-based algorithm. The particular ranking algorithm used here is RIMARC. The performance of the new algorithm is compared with two well-known algorithms that assign class probabilities to query instances. The algorithms used in the comparison are Naïve Bayes Classifier and Random Forest. The comparison is done in terms of area under the ROC curve, accuracy and execution time, using tenfold stratified cross-validation. The results indicate that the proposed SERA algorithm has a potential to be used successfully to estimate the probability of success in medical treatment.

Improved cycle outcomes after laparoscopic ovarian diathermy in hyper-responder patients with previous ART failure.

Excessive response to ovarian stimulation is common among hyper-responder patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). Cycle cancellations and severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) are all detrimental consequences observed within this cohort and several approaches have been proposed to enhance outcomes. The current study is designed to evaluate whether laparoscopic ovarian diathermy (LOD) improves ART outcomes and pregnancy rates by reducing Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in a group of patients who had a history of recurrent ART failure and high response. A total of 40 hyper-responder patients with history of previous ART failure were included. Group I consisted of 22 patients that underwent LOD prior to ART. Group II consisted of 18 patients that underwent only ART. Cycle outcomes of groups were compared. Following LOD, significant reduction in AMH levels were detected in group I (4.75 ng/mL to 2.25 ng/mL). Clinical pregnancies were similar among groups (40% versus 27.8% p = 0.65). There was no cycle cancellation in Group I, whereas there were three cycle cancellations observed due to OHSS in Group II. Our results indicate that LOD might offer enhanced fertility outcomes and may reduce the likelihood of cycle cancellations in hyper-responders with previous ART failures.

Maternal magnesium level effect on preterm labor treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the initial serum magnesium levels between preterm labor (PL) and control groups and to evaluate MgSO4 treatment response in preterm labor group according to their initial serum magnesium levels. METHODS: Hundred women diagnosed as preterm labor between 28 and 33 weeks of gestation and 100 non-complicated pregnant women were enrolled in this prospective study. Total basal serum magnesium levels were measured in both the groups. After a 6 g intravenous bolus of MgSO4, a dose of 2 g/h was given as an infusion in the preterm labor group. RESULTS: Serum magnesium levels were significantly lower in preterm labor group (p < 0.001). The active contractions stopped in 69 (73,4%) preterm patients. The basal Mg level was significantly lower in this preterm group (1.6 versus 1.9, respectively, p < 0.001). Predictive value of basal magnesium level measurement for magnesium tocolysis response was calculated by receiver operating characteristic analyses with 95% confidence interval. Positive predictive and negative predictive values were found as 64.5% and 92.5%, respectively, with 83% accuracy, when cut-off magnesium value was taken as a <1.75 mg/dl (sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 84,1%). CONCLUSIONS: Basal magnesium levels in preterm labor had a predictive value in evaluating MgSO4 tocolysis response. It may help to select patients who are appropriate for MgSO4 tocolysis.

The effect of cabergoline on folicular microenviroment profile in patients with high risk of OHSS.

The aim of this study to evaluate the effect of cabergoline on follicular microenvironment by measuring follicular fluid (FF) insulin like growth hormone -I (IGF-I), antimullerian hormone (AMH), inhibin B and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels in women with PCOS and high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). In this prospective cohort study, 41 women with PCOS undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for assisted reproduction and having the high risk factors for OHSS are included. The women in the study group (n = 15) received cabergoline for OHSS prevention while the women in the control did not received any medications for OHSS prevention. FF samples were collected during oocyte pick-up procedure for all women were determined using commercially available ELISA kits. Concentrations of FF IGF-I, AMH, inhibin B and HGF were assessed. In the study group FF AMH (2.96 ± 1.27 versus 1.91 ± 0.64 ng/mL), Inhibin B (1339.47 ± 198.56 versus 1200.09 ± 133.64 pg/mL), HGF (5623.21 ± 2411.09 versus 3787.42 ± 2269.89 pg/mL) and IGF-I (298.60 ± 37.80 versus 219.90 ± 71.40 pg/mL) concentrations were significantly decreased compared with control group. Cabergolin prevents OHSS in high risk patients by disrupting FF hormone microenvironment.

Estradiol supplementation in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles with thin endometrium.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of estradiol supplementation starting on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in patients with thin endometrium in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. METHODS: A total of 117 consecutive patients with the endometrial thickness on the hCG day ≤ 8 mm were reviewed. Estradiol supplementation was given in 57 patients and the remaining 60 patients were accepted as control group. Estradiol supplemented (ES) group received estradiol hemihydrate 4 mg/day started on the day of hCG. Luteal phase was supported using the vaginal progesterone gel in both groups. Clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, miscarriage rate, endometrial thickness on the day of oocyte pick-up and on the day of embryo transferred were accepted as main outcome measures. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in terms of clinical pregnancy rate (28.1% vs. 23.3%), implantation rate (16% vs. 10.4%), miscarriage rate (21% vs. 31.6%), endometrial thickness on the oocyte pick-up day (8.5 ± 1.8 vs. 8.4 ± 1.4, mm) and embryo transferred day (9.6 ± 2.9 vs. 10.3 ± 2.4, mm) in the ES group vs. control group. CONCLUSION: Estradiol supplementation starting on the hCG day for the patients with thin endometrium does not provide any benefit on the pregnancy outcome in ICSI cycles.

Comparison of the efficacy of three progestins in the treatment of simple endometrial hyperplasia without atypia.

AIM: To evaluate the treatment of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) with different progestins. METHODS: Eighty-two women with simple EH without atypia were included. Patients were offered oral progestagens and were randomized to one of three options for 3 months: medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 10 mg/day), lynestrenol (LYN, 15 mg/day) and norethisterone (NET, 15 mg/day) for 10 days per cycle. Patients were reevaluated after treatment. Women diagnosed with proliferative and nonatypical EH at the second curettage were offered the same progestins for another 3 months. The primary outcome of the study was the proportion of women requiring further treatment. RESULTS: Of the 82 women, 46 (56.1%) received MPA (23.2%), LYN (13.4%) and NET (19.5%) therapy for another 3 months at the end of the first 3 months of treatment. The patients receiving MPA showed resolution in 36.7% of the cases versus 37% in the NET group. The highest resolution rate (56%) was observed in the LYN group, although there was no statistically significant difference between progestins regarding the proportion of women requiring further treatment (χ(2) = 2.608; p = 0.271). CONCLUSION: It seems that the efficacies of oral progestins are similar at these dosages in simple EH without atypia.

Is pronuclear scoring a really good predictor for ICSI cycles?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Since the assessments of the morphology of oocytes, zygotes and/or embryos are of crucial importance to select the best candidate for pregnancy, many morphological evaluation tools have been proposed. Although embryo scoring, particularly cleavage and blastocyst stages, is more convincing due to successful results, zygote scoring still have a bias as different outcomes. In the current study, we designed a prospective study to test the reliability of zygote scoring by focusing on zygote evaluation techniques and its relation with embryo development and embryo selection for transfer. METHODS: A total of 1215 mature oocytes from 139 couples were evaluated for the study. RESULTS: There is no correlation between published zygote scoring technique and embryo development. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the inconsistency of data obtained from zygote scoring might be caused by the static nature of pronuclear stage embryos and thus pronuclear scoring seems to be unreliable evaluation technique for embryo selection.

Can serum oestradiol be a predictor of quality of oocytes and embryos, maturation of oocytes and pregnancy rate in ICSI cycles?

Our aim was to assess the influence of ratios of oestradiol (E2) to either number of follicles ≥ 14 mm on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration (E2/fol) or the number of oocytes retrieved (E2/o) during oocyte pick up and total serum E2 levels on the day of embryo transfer (ETE2) on the outcome of ICSI cycles. The assessed outcomes were number of oocytes retrieved (NRO), number of mature oocytes (NMO), number of fertilised oocytes (NFO), number of transferred embryos (NTE), qualities of oocytes (OQS), qualities of embryos (EQS) and pregnancy rates (PR). Two hundred and twenty-seven ICSI-ET cycles admitted to our IVF clinic during a 2-year period with normal ovarian reserve receiving long luteal GnRH agonist protocol were included. The E2/fol levels correlated positively with NRO (r = 0.202, p = 0.002), NMO (r = 0.199, p = 0.003) and NFO (r = 0.159, p = 0.018). However, we observed negative correlations between E2/o and NMO (r = -0.329, p <0.001), NFO (r = -0.219, p = 0.001), EQ5 (r = -0.203, p = 0.040). Oocyte quality scores were not affected from either E2/fol or E2/o levels. Implantation, clinical and ongoing PRs were comparable between groups categorised due to E2/fol, E2/o and ETE2. It seems that high E2/fol ratio may have beneficial effects on NRO, NMO and NFO while E2/o may adversely affect these parameters. Neither of the E2 levels is associated with pregnancy rates in women with normal ovarian reserve.

Effects of sildenafil and tadalafil on ischemia/reperfusion injury in fetal rat brain.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitory drugs, sildenafil and tadalafil, in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced oxidative injury in fetal rat brain. METHODS: Timed pregnant adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following groups (n = 6 for each group): saline + none I/R (1), saline + I/R (2), sildenafil + none I/R (3); sildenafil + I/R (4), tadalafil + none I/R (5) and tadalafil + I/R (6). Fetal ischemia was induced by clamping the utero-ovarian artery bilaterally. Fetuses were delivered and 268 fetal rats were decapitated. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were assessed in fetal brain tissue homogenates by spectrophotometric methods. RESULTS: In saline + I/R group, MDA levels were increased and, SOD and GSH-Px activities were decreased significantly comparing with saline + none I/R group. Both tadalafil and sildenafil treatment decreased the MDA levels significantly in ischemia/reperfusion groups, whereas this effect was significantly more potent with tadalafil. SOD levels were significantly decreased in all groups after I/R. Tadalafil seems to be more effective than sildenafil by means of increasing GSH-Px activity significantly after I/R. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate some beneficial effects of PDE5 inhibitory drugs, especially tadalafil, on oxidative I/R injury in fetal rat brains.

An uncommon complementary isochromosome of 46,XY, i(9)(p10),i(9)(q10) in an infertile oligoasthenoteratozoospermic man.

OBJECTIVE: To report a rare case of male infertility associated with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and complementary isochromosome 46 XY, i(9)(p10),i(9)(q10). DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Reference hospital. PATIENT(S): Infertile oligoastenozoospermic man with complementary isochromosome 46,XY, i(9)(p10),i(9)(q10). INTERVENTION(S): Peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained for karyotyping, and florescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis for gonadal mosaicism in ejaculated spermatozoa. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Physical examination, semen analysis, GBG banding, and FISH procedure. RESULT(S): The semen analysis revealed oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. The lymphocytic karyotype detected a complementary isochromosome 46,XY, i(9)(p10),i(9)(q10), and the FISH procedure showed abnormal sperm. CONCLUSION(S): This the first report of oligoasthenoteratozoospermia associated with complementary isochromosome 46,XY, i(9)(p10),i(9)(q10).

Comparison of levonorgestrel intrauterine system versus hysterectomy on efficacy and quality of life in patients with adenomyosis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) with hysterectomy in patients with adenomyosis and to study the effects of both treatments on quality of life (QOL). DESIGN: Prospective randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Women's health teaching and research hospital. PATIENT(S): Eighty-six patients (43 patients for each group) were enrolled, but only 75 women continued the study. INTERVENTION(S): Women interpreted as having adenomyosis on transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging were assigned to receive either LNG-IUS or hysterectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Clinical measures of menstrual bleeding as number of used pads/day during menstruation, hemoglobin levels, and health-related QOL variables were assessed. Each woman was followed up for 1 year after treatment. RESULT(S): LNG-IUS increased the hemoglobin levels at the sixth month and first year of the treatment to the comparable levels with hysterectomy. When pretreatment and post-treatment QOL scores of groups were compared, three of the five mean domain scores (physical, environmental, environmental-TR) were increased in patients treated with hysterectomy, while in patients managed with LNG-IUS, all five mean domain scores were increased. CONCLUSION(S): It seems that LNG-IUS demonstrates significant and comparable improvements in hemoglobin levels to hysterectomy in treating adenomyosis-associated menorrhagia during the first year. Although both treatments lead to improvements in health-related QOL, LNG-IUS seems to have superior effects on psychological and social life. It may be a promising alternative therapy to hysterectomy.

Effect of etonogestrel implant on serum lipids, liver function tests and hemoglobin levels.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the possible effects of etonogestrel implant (Implanon, Organon, Oss, The Netherlands) on total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Hb levels in a sample of Turkish population. STUDY DESIGN: Healthy women of childbearing potential who had applied to our Family Planning Clinic for a contraceptive method and had chosen to have an Implanon insertion after thorough counseling about all family planning methods and screening for eligibility for Implanon use were enrolled in the study. Serum concentrations of TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, AST, ALT and Hb levels were tested before and at 3 and 6 months after insertion. Baseline mean parameters were compared with mean parameters at 3 and 6 months for statistical significance using paired-samples t test. RESULTS: Eighty-two women eligible for the study were included. Mean age of the patients was 27.5+/-4.8 years. When compared to the baseline values, there was a statistically significant decrease in the TC (p<.001), HDL-C (p<.001) and TG (p=.006) at the end of the third month, while there was a significant increase in Hb values (p=.01). The decrease in TC (p=.001) and HDL-C (p<.001) and increase in Hb value (p=.03) persisted by the end of sixth month while the decrease in TG was transient. A statistically significant increase in mean ALT level was observed at 6 months (p=.03). CONCLUSION: The effect of Implanon on liver functions and lipid metabolism does not lead to unhealthy alterations. Increase in Hb can be attributed to the high frequency of amenorrhea in patients.

Does early repair of episiotomy decrease postpartum blood loss: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether early repair of episiotomy before expulsion of placenta affects postpartum blood loss. METHODS: Patients who had normal vaginal delivery with episiotomy were enrolled in the study. One hundred and twenty who were randomly allocated to either episiotomy repair before (Group 1: 60) or after spontaneous placental expulsion (Group 2: 60) had mediolateral episiotomy. Postpartum blood loss was measured with calibrated collecting bags, placed under the women immediately after the birth. Amount of the blood loss 1 h after the delivery was recorded and the two groups were compared for postpartum blood loss as a primary outcome. After the normality analysis with Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, we used Mann-Whitney U test for comparing groups. The chi-square test was used for comparing presence of postpartum hemorrhage. RESULTS: Mean blood loss was slightly higher in Group 2 (259.5 +/- 148.9 vs. 310.6 +/- 195.2, P = 0.21) but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant differences in hemoglobin and hemotocrit levels (DeltaHb and DeltaHct) in both groups at admission and postpartum. CONCLUSION: Early repair of episiotomy before expulsion of placenta has a minor positive effect on postpartum blood loss.

Prospective Randomized Study of Marsupialization versus Silver Nitrate Application in the Management of Bartholin Gland Cysts and Abscesses.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To prospectively compare the efficacy of marsupialization or silver nitrate application in the treatment of Bartholin gland cysts abscesses, both of which are widely used as outpatient procedures. DESIGN: Prospective randomized trial. Design classification I. SETTING: Teaching and research hospital, a tertiary center. PATIENTS: A total of 212 patients admitted to our gynecology clinic with symptomatic Bartholin gland cysts/abscesses. INTERVENTIONS: Marsupialization and silver nitrate application in Bartholin gland cysts/abscesses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In all, the 212 patients were randomly allocated to either marsupialization (group I) or silver nitrate application (group II) from March 2005 through March 2007. A total of 159 women were eligible for reevaluation at the end of the sixth month. In all, 83 were randomized to group I and 76 to group II. The patients were called for revisits at day 3, day 7, month 1, and month 6 of treatment. The 2 groups were compared for recurrence rates as primary outcome and duration of procedures, complications, size of scar tissues, and presence of dyspareunia as secondary outcomes. Comparisons of 2 groups were evaluated by Pearson X(2) test and Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate. The 2 groups were comparable with regard to age, parity, and diameter of cyst or abscess. The recurrence rates were similar: 24.1% in group I and 26.3% in group II at 6 months (p =.67). No statistically significant differences were found in respect to duration of procedures or presence of dyspareunia. Complete healing without scar formation was observed in 31.3% and 55.7% of patients in groups I and II, respectively, and this was statistically significant (p =.007). CONCLUSION: Marsupialization and silver nitrate application seem to be equally effective management methods in Bartholin cyst and abscesses, however, silver nitrate favors complete healing with less scar formation.

The effect of levonorgestrel intrauterine system on uterine myomas: a 1-year follow-up study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess whether levonorgestrel intrauterine system is an effective means of therapy in menorrhagia associated with myomas. DESIGN: Prospective before and after study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1). SETTING: Teaching and research hospital, a tertiary center. PATIENTS: In all, 21 premenopausal women attending our gynecology clinic because of menorrhagia associated with uterine myomas were enrolled into the study. INTERVENTIONS: Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system use in uterine myomas. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients with myomas greater than 4 cm were excluded. Clinical assessment tools of menstrual bleeding were measured both before (pretreatment) and 1 year after the insertion (posttreatment). A p value less than or equal to .05 was considered statistically significant for menstrual blood loss as a primary outcome and Bonferroni correction was done for secondary outcomes as 0.01. The mean age of the patients was 47.05+/-4.9 years. At 1-year follow-up, 5 women had had a hysterectomy. Four patients were amenorrheic. The duration of menstruation and the mean endometrial thickness were decreased 1 year after insertion; these decreases were not statistically significant (p=.034 and p=.204, respectively). While the mean number of pads used daily during menstruation decreased (p=.011), the hemoglobin level was increased (p=.001). A reduction in mean uterine volume and increase in ferritin levels were observed, but these changes did not reach statistical significance (p = .050 and p = .036, respectively). CONCLUSION: The use of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system seems to be effective in reducing menorrhagia associated with myomas with improvement in hemoglobin levels.

Comparison of saline infusion sonography and histological findings in the evaluation of uterine cavity pathologies.

AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of saline infusion sonography for the diagnosis of endometrial cavity abnormalities in patients who presented with abnormal uterine bleeding. METHODS: Eighty-three women suspected of having endometrial cavity abnormalities were evaluated using saline infusion sonography. The results of this technique were compared with the histological evaluation reports of these women either with hysteroscopy or laparotomy prospectively. RESULTS: The positive predictive value (PPV) for endometrial polyps was 25%; the negative predictive value (NPV) was 93%; the sensitivity for endometrial polyps was 80% and the specificity was 87%. The PPV, the NPV, the sensitivity and the specificity for submucous fibroids were 65, 85, 81 and 89%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Saline infusion sonography was a reliable and accurate method for investigations of the endometrium and uterine cavity with good correlation, with histological results of more invasive procedures. It can be a good alternative technique for the evaluation of uterine cavity abnormalities where office hysteroscopy is not available.

Krukenberg tumor mimicking pregnancy luteoma.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-associated Krukenberg tumor is very rare, and the diagnosis in pregnancy is even more difficult. Usually symptoms are attributed to pregnancy luteomas, which are hormone-active benign neoplasms. CASE: A 22-year-old female presented at the 28th week of gestation with rapid onset of hirsutism and acne since the 20th week of gestation. Physical and ultrasonographic examinations revealed bilateral ovarian solid masses which were considered as pregnancy luteomas. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy due to the onset of ascites and elevated tumor markers four months after delivery. Histopathologic examination revealed adenocarcinoma with signet-ring-type cells. CONCLUSION: Krukenberg tumors should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pregnancy luteomas. Otherwise, early diagnosis of the tumor can be delayed.

Dry eye in post-menopausal women using hormone replacement therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on dry eye in post-menopausal women. METHODS: Forty post-menopausal women with dry eye (20 patients, group 1) and without dry eye (20 patients, group 2), and planning to receive HRT (estrogen plus progesterone), were recruited as the study groups. Forty age-matched untreated women were enrolled as controls (group 3 with dry eye, 5 patients; group 4 without dry eye, 35 patients). Patients having at least one of the symptoms (dryness, itching, photophobia, foreign body sensation, and tearing) together with two of the tests with positive results for dry eye (tear film break-up time (BUT), fluorescein staining of the cornea, analysis of the meibomian gland, and Schirmer I test) in both eyes were considered dry eye positive. Hormonal assay for follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and free testosterone was performed. Dry eye statuses in the groups were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: Four patients with incomplete follow-up data were excluded. HRT use increased estradiol levels in the groups. Mean ages of patients (50.2+/-4.8 and 50.7+/-3.9 years, and 50.0+/-4.6 and 53.0+/-3.9 years) were similar (p=0.67). Duration of menopause in groups 1 and 2 (3.2+/-2.2 and 1.4+/-1.2 years; p=0.01), and in groups 3 and 4 (3.0+/-1.6 and 1.7+/-1.3 years; p=0.014) were different. At the third month examinations, all of the patients in group 1, and 11 patients (61.1%) in group 2 had dry eye (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Duration of menopause and use of HRT may increase the incidence of dry eye in post-menopausal woman.