AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 264, Issue 5 E776-E781, Copyright © 1993 by American Physiological Society
FSH secretory pattern and degree of concordance with LH in amenorrheic, fertile, and postmenopausal women
A. D. Genazzani, F. Petraglia, C. Volpogni, G. D'Ambrogio, F. Facchinetti and A. R. Genazzani
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Modena, Italy.
Pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin was investigated in amenorrheic
patients and in fertile and postmenopausal women to assess both
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) episodic secretion and its temporal
coupling with luteinizing hormone (LH). Three groups of amenorrheic
patients were studied: hyperandrogenic (n = 20), hypogonadotropic (n = 51),
and normogonadotropic (n = 31). Nineteen fertile women (during the
follicular and luteal phases of the cycle) and sixteen postmenopausal women
were investigated as reference groups. All subjects demonstrated the
presence of a distinct pulsatile pattern with LH and FSH pulses/4 h as
follows: hyperandrogenic 3.95 +/- 0.26 and 3.85 +/- 0.2, hypogonadotropic
3.76 +/- 0.26 and 3.9 +/- 0.16, normogonadotropic 3.5 +/- 0.2 and 3.9 +/-
0.17 LH and FSH pulses/4 h, respectively (means +/- SE). Normal controls
showed 4.1 +/- 0.2 and 3.1 +/- 0.2 pulses/4 h for LH (P < 0.05) and 3.2
+/- 0.1 and 3.6 +/- 0.3 pulses/4 h for FSH, during follicular and luteal
phases, respectively. Postmenopausal women showed 3.6 +/- 0.2 and 3.0 +/-
0.3 pulses/4 h for LH and FSH, respectively. Specific concordance (SC)
index demonstrated that LH and FSH were significantly and simultaneously
secreted in all groups. Conversely, LH and FSH were not temporally related
during the luteal phase. In conclusion, we report a distinct FSH episodic
secretion and its temporal linkage with LH pulses irrespective of plasma
concentrations of gonadal steroids in secondary amenorrhea.
