[Therapeutic efficacy of vaginal administration of bromocryptin in patients with hyperprolactinemia]

Oral bromoergocriptine (BEC) is currently the treatment of choice in women with hyperprolactinemia secondary to a prolactinoma. However, undesirable side effects (of variable type and intensity) are frequently present in these women due to both local irritation and to a direct effect upon the central nervous system. The present work was undertaken as a pilot study to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of vaginally administered BEC and to corroborate if the side effects are less frequent and of minor intensity when compared to oral BEC. Initially, 16 women were included, but two of them did not accept to continue in the study; thus, a total of 14 women with hyperprolactinemia (> or = 40 ng/ml) were divided in two groups: Group A encompassed five women, aged 27 to 36 years old, two with normal menstrual cycles and three with oligomenorrhea; all had primary or secondary sterility during 3 to 12 years and galactorrhea from 6 months to 3 years; in only one patient a brain computerized axial tomography (CAT) was performed which showed the existence of a macroprolactinoma. All received oral BEC (2.5-5 mg/day, except one patient with 10 mg/day). Group B included nine women, aged 26 to 36 years old, four had normal menstrual cycles and five had oligomenorrhea; all had primary or secondary sterility during the last 2 to 7 years and eight out of nine, also had galactorrhea during 1 to 8 years; in four of them a CAT was performed showing a pituitary microadenoma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)