A brief review of the effects of chronic hydrocephalus on the gonadotropin releasing hormone system: implications for amenorrhea and precocious puberty.

Precocious puberty and amenorrhea have been associated with hydrocephalus, but the pathogenesis has not been determined. Approximately 22 cases of amenorrhea, and a few cases of precocious puberty, have been reported in hydrocephalic patients. Shunt treatment leads to initiation and maintenance of normal reproductive cycles in most cases. An underlying mechanism responsible for reproductive dysfunction may involve the role of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH). The exact pathway by which hydrocephalus disrupts the hypothalamic GnRH system is unknown. However, compressive forces, ischemia, and impairment of neurotransmitter feedback loops are likely candidates.