Long-term remission of ovarian hyperandrogenism after short-term treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist

Objective: To assess the long-term effects of GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) therapy in a patient with benign ovarian hyperandrogenism. Design: Case report. Setting: University Hospital endocrine outpatient's clinic. Patient(s): A 55-year-old postmenopausal woman with hirsutism and virilization of ovarian origin. Intervention(s): Treatment with a course of GnRH-a (triptorelin 3.75 mg IM every 28 days for 4 months). Follow-up for 3 years. Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum gonadotropin and androgen levels, clinical assessment using the Ferriman-Gallwey score, and assessment of ovarian morphology by ultrasonography. Result(s): Administration of triptorelin resulted in suppression of serum testosterone and gonadotropin values and relief of the hyperandrogenic symptoms. Upon discontinuation of treatment, the patient's serum gonadotropin levels returned to the postmenopausal range, but the testosterone levels remained normal and the patient was asymptomatic for an observation period of 3 years. Conclusion(s): This case is the first example of long-term remission of ovarian hyperandrogenism in a postmenopausal woman, after short-term treatment with GnRH-a. This supports the view that GnRH-a therapy could be used, even in shea courses, for the long-term suppression of benign ovarian hyperandrogenism. (C) 2001 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.