[Effect of primary ovarian insufficiency on the molecular heterogeneity of pituitary gonadotropins]

It is known that hypophysial gonadotropins circulate in different molecular forms which are provided with different biological activity and that the proportion of such varieties keep a relation with the concentrations of estrogens in circulation. In physiological menopause predominate the great molecular forms which have a lesser biological activity and when estrogens are administrated a change is produced to smaller molecular forms. The present study tries to determine if in cases of ovarian insufficiency of long duration as in precocious menopause and the syndrome of refractory ovary the chromatographic conduct of gonadotropin is similar. Six patients with precocious menopause, and three with the syndrome of refractory ovary, were studied, in order to make a comparison of chromatographic pattern of FSF and LH in serum, with the one found in women with normal ovarian function and with physiologic menopause. The chromatographic analysis was done by filtration in gel of the serum and the subsequent determination of LH and FSH by RIA of double antibody. It was found that the chromatographic pattern of patients with ovarian insufficiency of long duration, characteristically presents larger molecular forms, specially in the refractory ovary syndrome with a greater alteration in the profile of LH. With base on these results it is concluded that the duration of ovarian insufficiency determine the type of molecular form, predominant, of gonadotropins. Also it is suggested that for the syndrome of refractory ovary, the greater heterogenicity of gonadotropins may explain part of physiopathogeny.