HORMONAL CHANGES RELATED TO EATING BEHAVIOR IN OLIGOMENORRHEIC WOMEN

The aim of this study was to determine those hormonal alterations in t he gonadotropin-ovarian axis that are related to eating behavior in ol igomenorrheic patients. We studied 74 oligomenorrheic women aged 26.2/-0.8 years, divided into group 1A (N=13) with eating disorders, group IB (N=61) without eating disorders and 18 normally cycling controls a ged 29.2+/-1.6 years (group II). No subject had ovarian failure, pitui tary disease, thyroid dysfunction or was taking any drug. Blood sample s were taken on days 3-6 after the last menses. Luteinizing hormone (L H) was measured in two plasma pools, each made up of three samples tak en at 30-min intervals, starting at 15.00 h (LH-15h) and 09.00h (LH-9h ), which allowed the mean LH (mLH) and variability in LH (V-LH: percen tage increase from the lower to the higher of the two LH values) to be calculated, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), sex steroids, and gon adotropin-releasing hormone-stimulated LH (sLH) and -FSH (sFSH) were a lso evaluated, Eating behavior was evaluated with the EAT questionnair e: the EAT 26 score, the dieting score IDS) and bulimia score (BS) wer e calculated. Dietary intake was evaluated in 35 group IB patients bas ed on food diaries analyzed with the REGAL program, to evaluate daily calorie intake (Gal) and calories provided by carbohydrates (Carb), li pids (Lip) and proteins (Prot). Comparisons between groups were done b y analysis of variance (followed by the Fisher PLSD test) and the Krus kal-Wallis test. Groups IA, IB and II did not differ regarding age, bo dy mass index, LH-9h, LH-I5h, mLH, FSH, sLH, sFSH, estradiol or dehydr oepiandrosterone sulfate: group IA had a higher V-LH than group IA (p <0.02) and a higher testosterone level than groups IB and II (p <0.05) . Positive correlations were found between V-LH and DS (p <0.01) and B S (p <0.05), and between testosterone and BS (p <0.02) and DS (p <0.05 ). The V-LH was negatively correlated with Cal and Carb, and testoster one was positively correlated with Cal and Lip. In patients referred f or oligomenorrhea, it is concluded that testosterone levels and variab ility of LH levels are related to eating behavior.