[The pharmacological and hormonal effects of carbamazepine and valproic acid in the treatment of reproductive age women with epilepsy].

Dynamics of steroid hormone (extradiol-17 beta, progesterone, total testosterone and cortisol) concentrations in the middle of follicular and lutein menstrual cycle phases has been studied in women with epilepsy aged 21-30 years. Nineteen patients were treated with valproic acid (depakine--900-2000 mg/day), 35--with carbamazepine (500-1200 mg/day). All the patients have been treated during at least 6 months, paroxysms being not registered during the last 3 months before blood analysis. Control group consisted of 17 healthy age-matched women with no positive familial history of nervous and endocrine diseases. Comparing to the control, the affected groups revealed a significantly lower estradiol level (p < 0.003) during the follicular phase and higher cortisol concentrations during both the follicular and the lutein phases (p < 0.05). Regardless of menstrual cycle phases, the differences in progesterone and total testosterone concentrations have not been found between subgroups treated by carbamazepine and depakine. The same hormonal deviations detected after using both carbamazepine and Depakine in the homogenous subgroups of the patients imply, to a certain extent, a common character of pathogenetic mechanisms for steroid hormone pattern development in women with epilepsy. Carbamazepine and depakine treatment during at least 6 months does not predispose to ovary polycystosis syndrome. The results support a multifactor character of hormonal deviations in epilepsy and do not show the medication factor as a major one.