[A longitudinal study on the prognosis of ovulatory disturbance in teenage patients with high LH and normal FSH serum levels].

To study the prognosis of adolescent ovulatory disturbance in patients with persistently elevated LH levels (greater than or equal to 25 mIU/ml), normal FSH levels and high LH/FSH (greater than 2.0), 17 patients aged 12-19 years were studied longitudinally for 4-9 years. These 17 patients consisted of 7 patients suffering from amenorrhea with estrogenic effect, 5 patients with functional bleeding, 3 patients with delayed menarche and 2 patients with oligomenorrhea. All of the patients showed exaggerated LH responses to 100 micrograms of LHRH administration while the FSH responses were not different from those obtained from normal women. Out of the 17 patients, 10 (58.8%) patients showed the values of testosterone and 7 (41.2%) androstenedione which were above the mean + 2SD of normal women. Consequently, the mean serum testosterone and androstenedione levels were significantly higher than those in normal women. The mean LH (36.6 +/- 8.3 mIU/ml), FSH (11.2 +/- 1.5 mIU/ml) and LH/FSH (3.3 +/- 0.8) at the age of 21.4 +/- 2.5 years were not different from the mean LH (39.9 +/- 13.3 mIU/ml), FSH (10.8 +/- 1.8 mIU/ml) and LH/FSH (3.8 +/- 1.5) at the age of 16.1 +/- 1.8 years, respectively. None of the 17 patients showed amelioration or deterioration of ovulatory disturbance during long-term observation. To further investigate the central dopamine activity, 10 mg of metoclopramide (MCP) was administered intravenously in these 17 patients. The LH and PRL responses to MCP were evaluated, and the results were compared to those obtained from 17 patients aged over 20 with PCO and from 17 normal women. The LH responses to MCP were positive in this juvenile patient group and the patients aged over 20 PCO group. However, the LH responses to MCP were negative in normal women in both the follicular and luteal phases. In contrast, the PRL responses to MCP were significantly attenuated in juvenile patients and in patients aged over 20 with PCO compared to those in normal women. Since the hormonal profiles in these 17 patients with anovulation or oligo-ovulation were very similar to those in the group aged over 20 with established PCO, it may be suggested that 1) at least part of the adult patients with PCO may have had PCO from late adolescence; 2) the majority of the patients with high LH and normal FSH levels in adolescence will suffer from ovulatory disturbance continuously; 3) in these patients, an aberration of central dopamine in control of LH and PRL may exist.