[Studies on the gonadal function in patients with anorexia nervosa using a highly sensitive radioimmunoassay kit for estradiol].

We measured serum estradiol (E2) using a highly sensitive radioimmunoassay kit in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). It is possible to determine the ovarian function with hypogonadism in patients with AN whose levels of E2 were below 10 pg/ml. In patients with extremely low levels of BMI (less than 15 kg/m2), basal levels of E2, LH, FSH and IGF-I increased significantly with gain of body weight.