Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The clinical differentiation between androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and 5 alpha reductase deficiency (5-ARD) can be difficult. Presenting features may be similar and initial investigations may still not be discriminatory.Methods: Case notes on a total of ten patients with the initial diagnosis of AIS or 5-ARD were retrospectively reviewed.Results: All ten children had a 46XY male karyotype. Four children were r...

Dizygotic twinning is the result of fertilization of multiple follicles that develop during one ovulatory cycle. Significant factors contributing to natural DZ multiples are heredity, increased maternal age and higher parity. Older women are at higher risk for DZ twinning because they have a strongly increased risk of multiple follicle growth as a result of diminished ovarian feedback from the due to a smaller available cohort of follicles. FSH increases allowing all follicles...

Introduction: The hypothalomo-pituitary response to the loss of ovarian function due to ageing is an increase in GnRH induced gonadothropic activity: FSH. It is thought that the pituitary gives maximum endogenous stimulation leading to FSH levels above the ovarian threshold to develop follicular growth and it is a matter of debate whether exogenous FSH (r-FSH) will or will not improve ovarian response. In intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment r-FSH is used to induce multif...

Introduction: With IVF stimulation a premature pituitary LH surge can ruin the whole procedure. Traditionally prevention of this event is done by administering a GnRH antagonist against endogenous hypothalamic GnRH. The obvious consequence is low LH levels, one of the two gonadotrophines usually not given for ovarian stimulation since for adequate action FSH suffices. However there are indications that LH levels may render too low, in particular in older women. The aim of this...