Hypothalamic amenorrhea. Diagnostic and therapeutic values of pulsatile administration of gonadorelin

: Hypothalamic amenorrhoea is characterized by deficiency of the pulsatile secretion of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone. In 18 patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism a precise topographical diagnosis could be made by pulsatile administration of this hormone using a portable pump, after failure of the simple gonadotropin-releasing hormone test (100 micrograms intravenously). In women wishing to become pregnant, this treatment proved valuable to induce ovulation, being remarkably effective (17 pregnancies in 20 women (85 p. 100) and 2.2 cycles/pregnancy), easy to perform, and safe, as well as less expensive and with less risk of hyperstimulation and multiple pregnancies than the conventional treatment with gonadotropins.