Summary A group of 52 women following hysterectomy with conservation of one or both ovaries was compared with an age-matched control group attending with menstrual irregularity/menorrhagia, in terms of proportions of women with postmenopausal endocrine profiles, and climacteric symptoms. The mean age for the groups was 42 years, and the mean interval between hysterectomy and the time of the study was 3.5 years. Endocrine levels were postmenopausal in six study and two control patients, and this difference was not significant. Vasomotor symptoms were a complaint of 28 (54%) of the study group and 18 (35%) of the control group, while 30 (58%) and 18 (35%) respectively had at least two other non-specific symptoms. In the absence of prospective studies elucidating the effect of hysterectomy on ovarian function, endocrine profiles should be performed in hysterectomised women complaining of symptoms.