Effect of Chronic Ethanol Administration on Plasma Levels of LH and the Estrous Cycle in the Female Rat

Abstract

Intragastric intubation of 4 or 8 g/kg of body weight of ethanol per day for 12 consecutive days disrupted the normal estrous cycle in female rats as monitored by vaginal epithelial cell changes. Plasma luteinizing hormone levels were unchanged suggesting that blood ethanol in the 50--100 mg/100 ml range acted as a direct gonadal toxin and not at the hypothalamic-pituitary gland level.