Adrenal and gonadal steroidogenesis in patients with ovarian polycystosis during buserelin test

Abstract

Relationships between the secretion of gonadotropic hormones of the pituitary gland, the androgenic and glucocorticoidal functions of the adrenals and the steroidogenic function of the ovaries were studied in 21 patients with the ovarian polycystic syndrome (OPS) and in 7 healthy women in test with buserelin, a gonadotropin-releasing agonist. When stimulated with corti- sole, the secretion remained unchanged. Depending on the baseline level of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAS), a change was found in the secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and its precursor 17-OH-pregnenolone. With the nor­mal baseline level of DHAS, the content of hormones increases while with its high level, their content does not change. The stimulation of gonadotropic secretion results in a higher disso­ciation in the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and folli­cle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in patients with OPS, by in­creasing the LH/FSH ratio that is most significant in patients with the normal level of DHAS. Under stimulation, aromatase activity becomes higher in patients with high DHAS levels and remains unchanged in the other group of patients. The findings may lead to the conclusion that buserelin-induced stimulation of gonadotropic secretion may be accompanied by the activated synthesis of adrenal androgens in some patients with OPS. De­pending on the baseline androgenic activity of the adrenals, buserelin-induced stimulation of gonadotropic secretion is at­tended by a higher aromatase activity.