Pulsatile luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone therapy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Induction of ovulation with pulsatile luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) therapy was attempted in 48 women with polycystic ovary disease (PCOD) and clomiphene citrate (CC) resistant anovulation. Fourteen women ovulated regularly, 23 ovulated variably, but 11 did not ovulate at all. Fifty-two of the 108 cycles of pulsatile LH-RH therapy alone (15 μ gm per pulse, one pulse every 90 minutes) administered through the subcutaneous route were ovulatory. In patients who did not ovulate on subcutaneous LH-RH, treatment with CC (100 mg per day for 5 days) was added to the LH-RH therapy in an additional 33 cycles, of which 21 were ovulatory. In those who did not respond to the combination of treatments, the same dose of LH-RH was administered intravenously: 14 of 29 cycles of intravenous therapy were ovulatory. The overall cumulative conception rate after 6 months of therapy was 60%. When recalculated for ovulatory cycles alone it was 90%, indicating that failure of ovulation was the only cause of the failure of conception. Analysis of the clinical and endocrine findings indicated that failure to ovulate was associated with obesity and hyperandrogenization. Ten of the 23 conceptions ended in miscarriage, 8 within 4 weeks of ovulation. The authors conclude that infertility in patients with PCOD is not optimally corrected by pulsatile LH-RH therapy.