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Alterations of the hypothalamic GnRH interpulse interval sequence over the normal menstrual cycle
N Santoro1, J P Butler, M Filicori
1Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
The American Journal of Physiology
|November 11, 1988
Summary
In women, luteinizing hormone (LH) release follows a renewal process during most of the menstrual cycle. However, progesterone feedback disrupts this pattern in the late luteal phase.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Neuroendocrinology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary is regulated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus.
- Previous studies in men suggest GnRH secretion follows a renewal process, implying limited hypothalamic memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pattern of pulsatile LH secretion in normal women throughout the menstrual cycle.
- To determine if the renewal process model of GnRH secretion applies to women and identify potential deviations.
Main Methods:
- Autocorrelation analysis of interpulse intervals of LH secretion.
- Data collected from 45 studies of normal women across different menstrual cycle phases.
Main Results:
- LH secretion in women is consistent with a renewal process during the follicular and early luteal phases.
- This renewal pattern breaks down in the mid-to-late luteal phase.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that while GnRH secretion may operate on a renewal process, feedback mechanisms alter this pattern in women.
- Pulsatile progesterone secretion from the corpus luteum likely overrides the renewal process in the mid-to-late luteal phase, indicating complex hormonal regulation.