EFFECT OF HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY ON GROWTH-HORMONE STIMULATION IN WOMEN WITH PREMATURE OVARIAN FAILURE

Objective: To assess the effect of oral hormone replacement therapy (H RT) on body weight, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and GH respo nse to exogenous GnRH in women with premature ovarian failure (POF). D esign: Controlled clinical study. Setting: Outpatients studied in the department of endocrinology of the University Hospital in Vienna. Pati ent(s): Twenty-four women with POF (study group) and 24 volunteers wit h normal ovarian cycles (control group). Intervention(s): Pituitary Gn RH stimulation was performed in all women at study entry and in patien ts with POF after 1, 6, and 12 months of standard oral HRT. Blood samp les were collected from 15 minutes before to 120 minutes after GnRH ad ministration. Body weight also was evaluated. Result(s): No difference s in baseline and stimulated serum GH were found either between POF wo men and controls or in POF women during HRT. Women with POF without HR T had significantly higher IGF-I levels; a reduction in circulating IG F-I levels occurred during HRT. Body weight remained stable. Conclusio n(s): Our results show the following: [1] Women with POF have similar GH secretion patterns as healthy age-matched women; [2] physiologic HR T has no impact on GnRH-induced GH stimulation; and [3] HRT has no imp act on body weight in women with POF. (C) 1997 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.