OCTREOTIDE, A SOMATOSTATIN ANALOG, ALTERS OVARIAN SENSITIVITY TO GONADOTROPIN STIMULATION AS MEASURED BY THE FOLLICLE-STIMULATING-HORMONE THRESHOLD IN POLYCYSTIC-OVARY-SYNDROME

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of octreotide , a somatostatin analogue, on ovarian sensitivity for follicle stimula ting hormone (FSH) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), As the measure of ovarian sensitivity, the FSH threshold was determine d in a case-control set-up. Eleven patients with PCOS were treated wit h FSH in a low dose step-up manner and subsequently received treatment with FSH combined with octreotide, The FSH threshold was found to be significantly higher during combined treatment, This increase was asso ciated with a decrease in insulin-like growth factor-I (IGE-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) concentrations during treatment with octr eotide, but not with a decrease in insulin concentrations, No differen ces were found between the two regimens, in number of follicles, in oe stradiol concentrations on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (H CG) administration or in ovulation rate. With both treatments, there w as a very low rate of multi-follicular development. It can be conclude d that octreotide lowers ovarian sensitivity for FSH through suppressi on of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 in patients with PCOS, However, this does not appe ar to affect follicular development during gonadotrophin stimulation, because the latter is controlled to a high degree by the use of a low dose step-up treatment schedule in these patients.