Gonadotropin-release upon intravenous administration of a long-acting analogue of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in females with increased plasma-androgens.

D-Ser-(TBU)3-EA10-LH-RH, an analogue of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) with prolonged action evokes in normal male and female subjects a qualitatively different secretory pattern of LH, as peak levels are reached between 30 and 60 min in males and between 120 and 240 min in females. Females with increased production of adrenal androgens due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia (off substitution therapy; N=8), idiopathic hirsutism (N=1) and adrenocortical carcinoma (N=2) present upon the administration of the LH-RH-analogue with a secretory pattern of LH and FSH which is qualitatively identical with that of normal female subjects, whereas the response of LH in these patients differs from that seen in normal males. Pre-treatment with dexamethasone did not induce any qualitative changes in the secretory response of LH and FSH upon the LH-RH-analogue in patients with increased endogenous production of adrenal androgens. A larger pool and/or a more pronounced de novosynthesis of LH, which apparently is not altered by increased levels of adrenal andorgens, may be the cause of the more pronounced and prolonged increase of LH in female subjects following the administration of the LH-RH-analogue.