EFFECT OF GROWTH-HORMONE SUPPRESSION ON THE SERUM LEVELS OF OVARIAN AND ADRENAL SEX STEROID-HORMONES IN NORMAL WOMEN AND IN WOMEN WITH POLYCYSTIC-OVARY-SYNDROME

We investigated the acute effect on the serum levels of ovarian and ad renal sex steroid hormones of the suppression of growth hormone during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A standard 75 g OGTT was performe d in 11 healthy women and eight women with polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS). Another five controls were given a sham loaning of oral distill ed water. Blood samples were obtained immediately before and at 30-min ute intervals after glucose or sham loading. Significant progressive d eclines in testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DH EAS) and growth hormone levels were observed during OGTT in both group s. In the PCOS and normal groups, respectively, at 120 min, testostero ne levels were 75.8% and 64.4% of the baseline (0-time) value, estradi ol levels were 83.4% and 83.1%, DHEAS levels were 79.3% and 79.1%, and growth hormone levels were 33.9% and 21.2%. Significant positive corr elations were observed between the level of growth hormone and each of the testosterone, estradiol and DHEAS levels in both the groups. The area under the curve for growth hormone was significantly smaller in t he PCOS group than in the normal group. Gonadotropins were not changed at any time during OGTT. It appears that growth hormone may modify ov arian and adrenal sex steroidogenic responses to tropic hormones direc tly or via local insulin-like growth factor-I. Women with PCOS may be relatively deficient in growth hormone, a deficiency which may play a role in the pathophysiology of ovulatory disturbance.