Increased prevalence of luteinizing hormone beta-subunit variant in patients with premature ovarian failure

Objective: To evaluate the significance of an LH variant with a mutant beta -subunit (Trp(8) to Arg(8) and Ile(15) to Thr(15)) in gynecologic disease, including infertility. Design: Clinical study. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shimane Medical Universit y Hospital, Izumo, Japan. Patient(s): Two hundred forty-five Japanese women with endocrine disorders and/or gynecologic disease and 153 healthy, nonpregnant, fertile Japanese w omen. Intervention(s): A blood sample was collected. Main Outcome Measure(s): The ratio of LH values from the SPAC-S and Immulyz e assays (LH ratio: SPAC-S LH/Immulyze LH) was used to determine variant (l ess than or equal to 0.5) or wild-type (>0.5) LH status according to a demo nstrated relation between the ratio and the sequence of the LII P-subunit g ene. Result(s): The LH ratio was lower (0.80 +/- 0.31) in the 245 patients than in the controls (1.00 +/- 0.38), and the variant was more frequent in the p atients (18.4%) than in the controls (8.5%). We found no difference in the frequency of the variant between infertile and fertile patients. The preval ence of infertility did not differ between patients with variant LH and pat ients with normal LW. Ovulatory disorders, hyperprolactinemia, premature ov arian failure, menstrual disorders, and luteal insufficiency were significa ntly more frequent in patients with the variant. Conclusion(s): Variant LH may contribute to female reproductive disorders, including infertility and premature ovarian failure. (C) 1998 by American S ociety for Reproductive Medicine.