Acute urinary retention after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment for leiomyomata uteri.

A case of rapid uterine enlargement and subsequent urinary retention occurring 7 days after GnRH-a administration in a 53-year-old premenopausal woman with myomas is presented. Rapid uterine enlargement was presumed to be caused by hyperestrogenism shortly after GnRH-a administration. The patient was treated with an indwelling Foley catheter for 2 weeks until the uterus decreased to near baseline dimensions. The patient's uterus continued to decrease in size during the 12 weeks she received GnRH-a, and she underwent an uneventful total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy/oophorectomy after donating 2 units of autologous blood. This case illustrates that adverse effects from GnRH-a treatment may be caused by the transient increase in ovarian steroid secretion shortly after drug administration.