Objective to demonstrate the effect of a deficiency of ovarian hormones on the process of wound contraction, using the oophorectomised rat model of the human menopause.

Design A randomised controlled trial.

Population Ninety‐six adult Wistar rats were randomly allocated into either an oophorectomised groupor a sham‐oophorectomised control group.

Methods Having confirmed a significant reduction in plasma oestradiol levels in the oophorectomisedrats, full‐thickness excised lesions were made in the flank skin of the adult rats at either two weeks orfour months after oophorectomy, so that the effects of two different durations of hormone deficiencycould be assessed and compared with the sham‐oophorectomised controls. Following wounding, therats were left for 3, 5, 10 or 22 days; wound contraction was assessed from photographs of thewounds taken at these intervals after injury.

Results In the rats wounded four months after oophorectomy there was a slower rate of woundcontraction, resulting in larger wounds at days 3, 5, 10 and 22, compared with control rats. No significant difference was observed in rats wounded two weeks after oophorectomy, indicating that the effects of ovarian hormone deficiency on this process are delayed.

Conclusion Due to the pivotal role of wound contraction in the process of wound healing these findingsmay be of clinical relevance and could have an important impact on the administration of hormonereplacement therapy.