a last gasp...

Oestradiol and oestrone levels in two groups of women (oral contraceptive users and non-users) were investigated by Sarkola et al. (1999). Blood was removed 40–150 min after alcohol intake (~2.5–7.5 UK units consumed in 30 min at 6 p.m.). Food intake was not controlled. In oral contraceptive users, an assumed alcohol-induced rise in oestradiol, but not oestrone, levels was evident. In the non-users the evidence was less convincing. In agreement with the proposal of Mendelson et al. (1988), these authors suggest that a change in the redox state of liver cells induced by alcohol metabolism is responsible for increased enzymatic conversion of oestrone to oestradiol. Furthermore, they cited the work of Tseng and Gurpide (1979), which reported that the enzyme responsible, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 enzyme, is induced by the synthetic progestins contained within some oral contraceptives.