Correlation of the pituitary response to synthetic LH-RH to the estradiol levels in anovulatory and ovulatory women.

Abstract

This paper describes the LH and FSH responses to synthetic LH-RH in 81 anovulatory women and 37 ovulatory women at various estradiol (Ed) levels. Besides, effects of mestranol of releases of LH and FSH in response to LHrh were examined in 4 anovalatory women. Subjects were divided into 3 groups: low Ed group, moderate Ed group and high Ed group. No significant correlation was found in ovulatory women, but in anovllatory women a positive significant correlation was found between the LH/FSH ratio after LHrh injection and the circulating Ed level. In ovulatory women, a mean LH/FSH after administration of LHrh was not significantly different from LH/FSH at the LH peak in the normal menstrual cycle. But in anovulatory women, a mean LH/FSH after the adminitration in the low Ed group was significantly lower than LH/FSH and mean LH/FSH after the administration in two other Ed groups were significantly higher than that at the LH peak in the normal menstrual cycle. Among the low Ed group, four patients with primary ovarian failure and elevated gonadotropin levels in serum were treated with mestranol. With increased doses of mestranol, the LH/FSH after administration of LH-RH was increased and reached to the same level as the normal ovulatory peak in these 4 patients. Our results demonstrated that responses of pituitary gonadotropins to LH-RH in anovulatory women were significantly different in the LH/FSH from those in ovulatory women. Abnormality of these responses in anovulatory women seems to be unfavorable to ovulation.