N° of women | Women’s age (y) | Psychiatric/psychologic traits | Gynecological traits | LHa | FSH | LH/FSHa ratio | Tb | E2 | P | GH | PRLc | Cortisol or DHEAS | Response to inhibitors of the pituitary-adrenal axis | Response to GnRH | TSH and/or response to TRHe | Response to dopamine agonists (bromocriptine, apomorphine and L-DOPA)f or opiate antagonists (naloxone)g | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | Mild depression | Amenorrhea (9 months) and galactorrhea | Elevated with increased frequency of pulses (mid-cycle surge levels) | Within normal range | ≈ 5.7 | -- | Within the mid-follicular phase range | slightly higher than the follicular phase range | Normal diurnal episodic secretion | Distinctly elevated (similar to the mid-cycle surge) | -- | -- | -- | Basal TSH within normal range | -- | [34] |
1 | 39 | Depression | Amenorrhea (5 months) and galactorrhea | ≈ 0.2 IU/L | ≈ 14 IU/L | ≈ 0.1 | -- | Within the follicular phase range | Within the follicular phase range | -- | Within the normal range | -- | -- | Normal increase in LH and FSH after GnRH | Normal increase in TSH and PRL, and paradoxical increase in GH (normal basal levels of TSH) | Normal decrease in PRL after bromocriptine and normal decrease in PRL and blunted increase in GH after apomorphine | [35] |
1 | 27 | Likely unipolar depressive disorder | Amenorrhea (9 months) and galactorrhea | Within follicular phase range | Within follicular phase range | 2.0 | Within mid-follicular phase range | Within the mid-follicular phase range | Within mid-follicular phase range | -- | Within the normal range | Minimally elevated DHEAS levels | Normal suppression of A.M. cortisol but ACTH remained elevated after overnight low-dose (1 mg) dexamethasoned | -- | Small increase in TSH, normal increase in PRL and paradoxical increase in GH (normal basal levels of TSH and T4) | -- | [32] |
5 | 19, 29, 33, 34, 35 | 4 women with depression and hysteria | Amenorrhea (4–15 months) and galactorrhea | Within normal range | Within normal range | 8.0, 6.6, 2.7, 2.9, 4.4 | -- | Within normal range (4 women) | 1 woman within the follicular phase range, and 4 women slightly higher than the follicular phase range | -- | Slightly elevated (4 women) and within the normal range (1 woman) | -- | -- | -- | -- | No increase in LH or PRL after naloxone | [33] |
1 | 30 | Histrionic personality suffering from major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder | Amenorrhea (7 months) and galactorrhea | Elevated with frequency of pulses higher than late-follicular phase | Within normal range | ≈ 11.3 | Consistently elevated | Elevated (late-follicular phase levels) | Not elevated (late-follicular phase levels) | Decreased nocturnal peaks of GH | Normal levels with greater release during sleep than during daytime | Normal cortisol levels rising during sleep and reaching a maximum at 08.00-09.00 h | -- | -- | -- | Decrease in PRL levels and no increase in GH after L-DOPA | [16] |
1 | 38 | Histrionic and hypochondriac personality | Amenorrhea (> 5 months) and galactorrhea | Normal with frequency of pulses similar to late-follicular phase | Within normal range | ≈ 2.9 | Consistently elevated | Elevated (late-follicular phase levels) | Not elevated (late-follicular phase levels) | Decreased nocturnal peaks of GH | Normal levels with greater release during sleep than during daytime | Normal cortisol levels rising during sleep and reaching a maximum at 08.00-09.00 h | -- | -- | -- | Decrease in PRL and no increase in GH after L-DOPA | [16] |