Increased dopamine turnover in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

The main dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA), was measured in urine samples from 35 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) and in 38 normal menstruating women of the same age range. In both groups the plasma levels of LH, FSH, prolactin and testosterone were also measured. HVA excretion was significantly increased in women with PCO. Plasma levels of LH correlated negatively (r = -0.6268, 2a less than 0.001) to urinary HVA in the group of normal women. This correlation did not exist in the women with PCO. The results suggest that there is a disturbance of the inhibitory influence of dopamine on LH secretion in women with the syndrome, which is not due to a deficient synthesis or utilization of dopamine.