BACKGROUND Adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients may be associated with amenorrhea and a marked reduction in ovarian reserve. OBJECTIVES To assess the use of letrozole with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue protocols, based on reported attempts to avoid the estradiol (E2) increase during controlled ovarian hyperstimulati...

Patient A was a 30-year-old white woman with a longstanding history of primary amenorrhea and infertility. By age 18 the patient had neither menstruated nor demonstrated evidence of normal breast development. At that time she was given oral contraceptives for four cycles and responded with normal vaginal bleeding. Laboratory evaluation at age 18 demonstrated a serum FSH (follicle-stimulating ho...

BACKGROUND Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) has been routinely used for ovulation induction. Because of rapid clearance of the hormone, FSH is commonly administered by daily intramuscular or subcutaneous injections in in-vitro fertilization (IVF). To reduce the number of visits to the clinic, an intermittent vaginal injection of rhFSH every 3 days employing the concepts of mesotherapy and ute...

The pituitary-derived glycoprotein hormone FSH plays a central role in controlling vertebrate gonadal function. In female mammals the maturation of ovarian follicles is critically dependent upon stimulation by FSH. Moreover, injection of exogenous FSH is used extensively to stimulate increased numbers of follicles to ovulate. Structurally FSH is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed of two non-...

BACKGROUND Estradiol (E(2)) concentration is preserved in older reproductive-aged women despite a decrease in follicle number and androstenedione (AD) levels. We hypothesized that increased aromatase activity accounts for E(2) preservation in older women. METHODS Older (36-46 years; n = 11) and younger (21-35 years; n = 10) women with 25- to 35-day menstrual cycles participated in a parallel ...

Intensive FSH stimulation is a key tool of assisted reproduction technology but can cause severe complications through the development of an excessive number of small ovarian follicles. We tested the hypothesis that, in the late stages of ovulation induction, LH activity in the form of low-dose human CG (hCG) can stimulate and selectively modulate ovarian follicle function and growth, independe...

We report a woman with primary amenorrhoea and infertility associated with an isolated deficiency of pituitary FSH that does not respond to GnRH administration. Serum inhibin B was undetectable and antimullerian hormone (AMH) was within the normal range. Ultra sound examination revealed a small uterus and small ovaries with few small follicles. We identified an homozygous 1-bp (G) deletion at c...

Given the higher efficacy of follitropin-beta, a new recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (r-FSH), versus urinary-FSH (u-FSH), the present study was carried out to evaluate the cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) of follitropin-beta in comparison with u-FSH in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in Italy. Clinical decision analysis techniques were used to retrospectively model the dire...