We tested whether cyclic estradiol treatment, like continuous estradiol treatment, is sufficient to normalize meal size and body weight in ovariectomized rats. In Experiment 1, adult Long-Evans rats were ovariectomized and subcutaneously injected with 0, 0.2, or 2.0 microg estradiol benzoate (EB) in sesame oil each Tuesday and Wednesday. Oil-treated ovariectomized rats gained more weight during 4 weeks of ad lib feeding (48 +/- 5 g) than intact rats (16 +/- 1 g, p < 0.01). Cyclic treatment with 2.0 microg EB normalized weight gain (11 +/- 2 g). During the next week, plasma samples were assayed for estradiol. Cyclic treatment with 2.0 microg EB produced excursions of plasma estradiol that appeared similar to those of intact, cycling rats: estradiol level reached 190 +/- 60 pmol/L after the second EB injection before decreasing to undetectable levels (<30 pmol/L) by cycle end. In Experiment 2, test meal sizes after overnight food deprivation were measured. Cyclic treatment with 2.0 microg EB produced both tonic (i.e., at cycle onset, meal size was smaller in estradiol-treated than oil-treated rats) and phasic (i.e., meal size was smaller late in the EB-treatment cycle than early in it) decreases in meal size. Thus, a weekly cyclic regimen of estradiol treatment that produces changes in plasma estradiol concentration similar to those in intact cycling rats is sufficient to produce the body weight and meal size patterns that characterize normal hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function.