The effects of single-dose luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone on ovulatory menstrual function: support for a single luteinizing hormone- and follicle-stimulating hormone-releasing factor.

Ten ovulatory women were followed with gonadotropin and steroid determinations through two cycles. They were given 500 micrograms of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) during the periovulatory period of the second cycle to determine whether ovulation could be facilitated without altering corpus luteum function. Successive cycles demonstrated concordance for patterns of gonadotropin and steroid secretion when studied as group means. Two control cycles and one treatment cycle were consistent with luteal phase defects. The use of a supramaximal dose of LH-RH in these women neither facilitated ovulation nor adversely affected luteal function. A significant linear correlation was noted between peak LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) values for the spontaneous surges. This same linear relationship was maintained for the LH and FSH responses to 500 micrograms LH-RH. The present data produce further evidence demonstrating that the secretion of LH and FSH appears to be modulated by gonadal steroids and under the permissive control of a single gonadotropin-releasing hormone.