Conditions: Infertility Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Hyperprolactinemia
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 14
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to develop a new protocol using two different types of fertility drugs that is more similar to the way the hormones act in a normal menstrual cycle (period).

We are recruiting women who are trying to get pregnant through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) who either have a high prolactin level (a hormone normally found in your blood that is produced in the brain) or have a condition known as hypothalamic amenorrhea in which one does not get regular periods due to low hormone levels.

The ovaries can be stimulated with Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) alone and with FSH and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). FSH causes eggs to be made while LH causes estrogen (hormone) production. The women in this study have low hormone levels and need both FSH and LH. Luveris® (LH hormone) is a new drug approved for egg production and is used in IVF. There is no set amount of LH nor a set protocol for LH use. Therefore, we are testing this new regimen. One group of women will receive a fixed dose of LH throughout their cycle while the other will decrease the dose of FSH while at the same time increasing the LH dose which is what happens in the natural menstrual cycle.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Participants in this arm will take Gonal F® and the same dose of Luveris® throughout the cycle. Their dose of Gonal F® will be adjusted throughout the cycle based on their response to the medication. The Luveris® dose will remain constant throughout. arm 2: Patients assigned to this group will gradually reduce the Gonal F® dose while increasing the Luveris® dose during the cycle, which more closely mimics the natural menstrual cycle.

Interventions: intervention 1: Luveris fixed dose intervention 2: Luveris increasing dose
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Luveris 75IU daily throughout ovarian stimulation intervention 2: Luveris 75IU until estradiol level reaches 250 pg/ml then increasing to 75IU BID for two days, then TID until hCG

Protocol document: