cetrorelix and Hirsutism

A 65-year-old woman presented to the endocrine clinic with increasing facial hirsutism over the past 6 months. She was noted to have excess hair on forearms, back and abdomen, along with some frontal balding. There were no abnormalities of the external genitalia, blood pressure was satisfactory and weight was stable. Biochemistry confirmed elevated testosterone (4.1 nmol/l). No abnormalities were seen on CT of abdomen and pelvis, nor by transvaginal ultrasound of the ovaries. Six months after her initial clinic visit, testosterone had increased to 6.0 nmol/l, rising to 7.3 nmol/l a few months later. Testosterone failed to suppress to low-dose dexamethasone suggesting excessive adrenal production was unlikely. Urine steroid profiling revealed no abnormality of adrenal steroid metabolites. Testosterone suppression was achieved with a rapidly-acting luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone antagonist (cetrorelix), suggesting an ovarian source of excess production. Histology following bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy revealed a benign 6 mm diameter Leydig cell tumour in the right ovary.

Topics: Aged; Female; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; Hirsutism; Humans; Leydig Cell Tumor; Ovarian Neoplasms; Testosterone

A 75-year-old woman presenting with recent onset hirsutism and severely elevated serum androgen levels was evaluated to assess the source of excessive androgen production. Commonly recommended hormonal stimulation and suppression tests, and the usually employed imaging techniques were non-diagnostic. In this report, we describe a new suppression test based on the use of the GnRH receptor antagonist, cetrorelix, to determine whether androgen production was LH-dependent. Cetrorelix, administered in a daily dose of 250 microg subcutaneously, suppressed serum LH within 24 h and reduced serum androgen levels to normal within 48-72 h, indicating that androgen overproduction was of ovarian origin. This diagnosis was confirmed by laparoscopic ovariectomy.. The cetrorelix suppression test is a simple procedure that provides valuable information regarding the source of androgen excess in postmenopausal hirsutism.

Topics: Aged; Androgens; Female; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; Hirsutism; Hormone Antagonists; Hormones; Humans; Laparoscopy; Luteinizing Hormone; Ovariectomy; Ovary; Postmenopause; Receptors, LHRH