ABSTRACT
The effect of synthetic LH-RH was studied in 100 patients with various types of ovarian insufficiency by following up the FSH- and LH-levels in plasma. LH-RH was administered in doses of 12.5, 25 and 100 μg as a rapid intravenous injection. The patients were classified according to the endocrine state of the pituitary as evidenced by the urinary gonadotrophin levels. A clear correlation between the functional state of the pituitary and its responsiveness to exogenous LH-RH was demonstrated. Most of the patients with undetectable low urinary gonadotrophin levels failed to respond. The majority of patients with gonadotrophin excretion in the normal range and those with elevated levels reacted with a dose dependent increase in circulating LH. The amount of liberated FSH however was related to the injected dose only in patients with high gonadotrophic excretion.
The present study indicates that synthetic LH-RH provides a useful tool in the evaluation of the pitutiary function particularly in patients with low and with undetectable gonadotrophin excretion. The data presented in this paper also demonstrate that the functional state of the pituitary is clearly reflected by the urinary gonadotrophin levels.
Identification of a duplication within the GDF9 gene and novel candidate genes for primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) by a customized high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization platform