A reader asked if mating would reduce adrenal symptoms in a spayed female
and Brett replied:
 
I very much doubt that mating a spayed female would reduce her estrus-like
symptoms.  Mating causes a whole female to ovulate; ovulation causes
changes in the ovaries; and the changes in the ovaries cause them to switch
from producing estrogen to producing progesterone, bringing the female
out of heat.  If the female is spayed and the estrogen is coming from the
adrenals, then mating will not help -- you can't make an adrenal gland lay
an egg.  In fact, mating might even hurt, because it causes a surge of
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, and LH seems to be the
hormone responsible for over- stimulating the adrenal glands in the first
place.
 
Brett
[Posted in FML issue 3397]