Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Klein, N. A.
Right arrow Articles by Soules, M. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Klein, N. A.
Right arrow Articles by Battaglia, D. E.
Right arrow Articles by Clifron, D. K.
Right arrow Articles by Bremner, W. J.
Right arrow Articles by Soules, M. R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

The Gonadotropin Secretion Pattern in Normal Women of Advanced Reproductive Age in Relation to the Monotropic FSH Rise

Nancy A. Klein, MD

David E. Battaglia, PhD

Donald K. Clifron, PhD

William J. Bremner, MD, PhD

Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Seattle, Washington

Michael R. Soules, MD

Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Seattle, Washington; Department of Obsterics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, University of Washington, 4225 Roosevelt Way N.E., #305, Seattle, WA 98105

Objective: Women of advanced reproductive age are known to demonstrate subtle FSH elevations (monotropic FSH rise) while still retaining ovulatory function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that the physiologic basis for the monotropic FSH rise is an alteration in the secretion pattern of the GnRH pulse generator.

Methods: The subjects were 11 normal women age 40-45 years who underwent 24 hours of frequent blood sampling in the follicular (EF) and/or midluteal (ML) phases of spontaneous menstrual cycles. The controls were 11 normal women age 20-25 years. The respective gonadotropin secretion patterns were analyzed for LH pulse frequency, mean LH and FSH levels, and LH pulse amplitude.

Results: There were no differences between the groups for estradiol (E2) and progesterone when the respective cycle phases were compared. The 24-hour mean FSH level was significantly increased in the older women in both the EF and ML phases. There were no differences between the groups in either cycle phase for LH pulse frequency, LH pulse amplitude, and mean LH levels.

Conclusion: The results lend no support to the hypothesis that a slowing or other alteration of the GnRH pulse generator is the basis for the monotropic FSH rise in older ovulatory women. Other possibilities include the dynamics of E2 secretion or changes in FSH-modulating peptides (ie, inhibin) in these women.

Key Words: Reproductive aging • monotropic FSH rise • LH secretion pattern • GnRH pulse generator

Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Vol. 3, No. 1, 27-32 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/107155769600300107
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?