Bromocriptine increases plasma estradiol-17 beta concentration in amenorrhea patients with normal serum prolactin

In a series of 23 patients bromocriptine increased the plasma estradiol-17 beta level from 44.0 +/- 9.5 (mean +/- SE) to 144.1 +/- 31.8 pg/ml after 3 - 5 weeks' treatment (p less than 0.01). In normoprolactinemic patients (N = 12) the level increased from 59.6 +/- 16.3 to 186.5 +/- 50.5 pg/ml (p less than 0.05), and in hyperprolactinemic patients (N = 11) the corresponding values were 27.0 +/- 6.2 and 97.8 +/- 34.6 pg/ml (p less than 0.05). Bromocriptine treatment did not significantly alter the FSH and LH levels. The results suggest that bromocriptine treatment induces endocrine recovery also in patients whose clinical findings give no indication of prolactin suppression.