Plasma gonadotropin secretory patterns in patients with functional menstrual disorders and Stein-Leventhal syndrome: Response to clomiphene treatment

Abstract

Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were determined daily in 18 women with functional amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea and correlated with changes in basal body temperature, karyopyknotic index, and cervical mucus characteristics. Of these 18 women, 5 began to menstruate spontaneously after inclusion into the study, 4 cases were diagnosed as the Stein-Leventhal syndrome, and the remaining half could be divided into 3 groups based upon plasma gonadotropin levels: consistently low, consistently high, or normal levels with spontaneous peaks unaccompanied by evidence of ovulation. Ovulation was induced in 10 of 12 patients given clomiphene. Of these, plasma gonadotropins rose slightly during treatment in 7, while the karyopyknotic index rose progressively prior to the ovulatory surge in 9. These studies demonstrate the heterogeneous pattern of gonadotropin secretion in oligomenorrhea and the clinical correlates useful in predicting an individual's response to clomiphene therapy.