Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist Treatment in Postmenopausal Women with Hyperandrogenism of Ovarian Origin

Esther S. Vollaard*, Andre P. van Beek, Frederik A. J. Verburg, Annemieke Roos, Jolande A. Land

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Context: The most frequent cause of virilization in postmenopausal women is excessive androgen production of ovarian origin. Bilateral oophorectomy is usually performed, even in cases of benign tumors or hyperthecosis. This is the first report of a case series of long-term GnRH-agonist treatment of hyperandrogenism in postmenopausal women.

Objective: We present three women with postmenopausal hyperandrogenism of ovarian origin who were treated with GnRH agonists.

Patients: We describe three cases of postmenopausal women with virilization and hyperandrogenism of presumed ovarian origin, all with slight enlargement of the ovaries but without visualization of a tumor, who had long-term treatment with GnRH agonists. No histological diagnosis was available, and therefore all patients received careful follow-up, including periodic testing of androgen levels and ovarian imaging by computed tomography scans. The three patients responded in different ways to treatment with GnRH agonists.

Conclusions: Long-term GnRH agonist treatment is an acceptable choice for treatment of postmenopausal hyperandrogenism in patients where ovarian origin of androgen excess is ascertained, and especially in those patients who have an increased risk for surgery due to comorbidities or who are unwilling to undergo bilateral oophorectomy. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 96: 1197-1201, 2011)

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1197-1201
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Volume96
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May-2011

Keywords

  • CELL TUMOR
  • RARE CAUSE
  • HYPERTHECOSIS
  • VIRILIZATION
  • WOMAN

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