Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome without gonadotropin stimulation: an unusual response to a GnRH agonist

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a well-known iatrogenic complication of ovarian stimulation with gonadotropins. We present the case of a woman in her 30s who developed OHSS without the administration of gonadotropins. She was due to undergo intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for primary subfertility. After taking a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor agonist for 3 weeks, she presented with abdominal pain, nausea and bloating. She was diagnosed with moderate to severe OHSS, requiring management as an inpatient.Investigations included a pelvic ultrasound scan showing an enlarged ovary, serum oestradiol >30 000 pmol/L and an MRI of the brain with an incidental finding of a 5 mm pituitary microadenoma.She recovered rapidly and was referred for endocrinology evaluation and multidisciplinary team discussion. The OHSS was felt to be explained by an unusual 'flare' response to a GnRH agonist. A further ICSI cycle with an antagonist protocol is planned.

Gonadotropins in the Management of Couple Infertility: Toward the Rational Use of an Empirical Therapy

Although epidemiology shows that both men and woman can experience infertility, the female partner usually experiences most of the diagnostic and therapeutic burden. Thus, management of couple infertility is a unique example of gender inequality. The use of exogenous gonadotropins in assisted reproductive technology (ART) to induce multifollicular growth is well consolidated in women, but the same is not done with the same level of confidence and purpose in infertile men. Indeed, the treatment of idiopathic male infertility is based on an empirical approach that involves administration of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in dosages within the replacement therapy range. This treatment has so far been attempted when the endogenous FSH serum levels are within the reference ranges. According to the most recent evidence, a "substitutive" FSH administration may not be effective enough, while a stimulatory approach could boost spermatogenesis over its basal levels without adverse extragonadal effects. This article aims to describe the rationale behind the empirical application of gonadotropins in couple infertility, highlighting the need for a change in the therapeutic approach, especially for the male partner.

Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma That Changed to a Functional Gonadotropinoma

Objective

Pituitary adenomas can be classified as clinically functional or silent. Depending on the reviewed literature, these are the first or second place in frequency of the total pituitary adenomas. Even rarer is the presence of a functional gonadotropinoma since only very few case reports exist to date. The conversion of a clinically silent to functional pituitary adenoma is extraordinarily rare; the mechanisms that explain these phenomena are unknown or not fully understood.

Methods

We report the case of a woman who initially had a nonfunctional gonadotropinoma and in the course of her medical condition showed biochemical changes in her hormonal pituitary profile compatible with a functional gonadotropinoma.

Results

We considered that the patient had a functional gonadotropinoma due to the hyperestrogenemia in the context of secondary amenorrhea, resolving the hyperestrogenemia after almost complete resection of the tumor.

Conclusion

It is necessary to point out from a clinical and/or biochemical point of view the change in functionality that a nonfunctional pituitary adenoma may have. In the case of our patient, the suspicion of this change in functionality became evident when we found an increase in the FSH/LH ratio and a progressive increase in serum estradiol concentrations when the patient had amenorrhea.