Longitudinal study of the behaviour of certain hormonal parameters in women undergoing treatment with cyproterone acetate.

A study has been made of the behaviour of certain hormonal parameters (LH, FSH, PRL, HGH, ACTH, cortisol and testosterone) in five women aged from 17 to 28 years, during two successive menstrual cycles, the first under basal conditions and the second while under treatment with cyproterone acetate (CPA) 100 mg/day), given from the fifth to the twenty-fifth day of the cycle. On the first day of the initial cycle and the twenty-ninth day of the second cycle, the secretion of gonadotropins, prolactin, and somatotropin were measured before and after stimulation with GnRH (50 microgram, i.v.), sulpiride (200 mg, i.m.) or insulin (0.1 U/kg). During treatment with CPA the ovulatory peak of LH was abolished, with a reduction in the levels of gonadotropin and testosterone. No changes were observed for PRL, HGH, ACTH or cortisol. The study of the pituitary reserves showed a reduced response of LH but not of FSH to GnRH. There were no changes in the response of PRL and HGH to stimulation. The data obtained confirm the inhibitory effect of CPA on gonadotropin and testosterone secretion, while the other parameters studied did not vary significantly.