Figure 8.

Individual gonadotrophin and ovarian hormone responses to KP-54 in women with PCOS. Serum hormones and ultrasound-measured diameter of the leading follicle and endometrial thickness (ET) in individual women (panels A/B, C/D and E display data from each of the three women) administered 9.6 nmol/kg s.c. bd for 21 days to illustrate the variation in response. Blue line: LH; black line, FSH; orange line, E2; grey line, inhibin B. Blue columns, follicle diameter; orange columns, ET. In the woman whose results are shown in panels A/B, there was a small but consistent increase in the size of the dominant follicle during 3 weeks of KP-54 treatment, with a more marked rise immediately thereafter, with a coincident increase in serum E₂ and ET. This culminated in an LH surge, disappearance of the dominant follicle and a subsequent serum progesterone level of 25.4 nmol/L detected thereafter, indicating ovulation. In panels C/D, a rise in LH with a limited ovarian response is illustrated, with a rise in E₂ during the third week of treatment and a transient increase in diameter of the leading follicle to >10 mm. Panel E shows evidence of desensitization, with declines in LH and E2, accompanied by some light vaginal bleeding.