[Cigarette smoking and hormonal changes in the course of the menstrual cycle].

ACTH, cortisol and PRL plasma levels were determined on day 7, 14, and 21 of the menstrual cycle in 20 females with hypertrichosis of whom 10 were smokers and 10 non-smokers. Significantly raised levels of all hormones considered were found in smokers throughout the cycle. These findings suggest a possible relationship between objective symptoms (hypertrichosis) and nicotine, mediated by complex changes in the endocrine pattern and presumably also due to the action of nicotine on the central nervous system.