Inhibition of luteinizing hormone release by dopamine infusion in healthy women and in various pathophysiological conditions

To investigate the effect of dopaminergic stimulation on gonadotrophin release, serum LH and FSH concentrations were measured during dopamine infusion (5 μ/kg/min for 120 min) in 8 healthy women in the early follicular phase, in 12 patients with hyperprolactinaemic amenorrhoea, in 5 subjects with premature ovarian failure and in 8 with polycystic ovarian disease and raised serum LH levels. Dopamine infusion produced a significant LH decrease compared with a control study using saline in all groups; there were no significant changes in FSH concentration. Between groups analysis showed a significantly greater LH fall in patients with polycystic ovarian disease than in the other groups. Dopamine inhibits LH release in healthy women and patients with anovulatory states of varying aetiology, and enhanced sensitivity to this inhibitory mechanism exists in polycystic ovarian disease. This finding suggests reduced dopamine activity at the median eminence level in this condition.