Table 3 Epidemiological, psychyatric/psychologic, gynecological and endocrinological traits of pseudocyetic women from studies discarded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria laid down in the Methods section
N° of women | Women’s age (y) | Psychiatric/ psychologic traits | Gynecological traits | LH | FSH | LH/FSH ratio | T | E2 | P | GH | PRL | Cortisol or DHEAS | Response to GnRH or EBa | TSH and/or response to TRH | Response to dopamine agonistsb or antagonistsc | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 19, and 33 | -- | Amenorrhea (6 and 8 months, respectively), galactorrhea, and presence of a proliferative endometrium | Total gonadotropin activity below the normal limits found in normal cycling women | Total gonadotropin activity below normal limits found in normal cycling women | -- | -- | Total estrogen activity below normal range found in normal cycling women | -- | -- | Distinctly elevated | -- | Marked increase in LH and, to a lesser extent, FSH after GnRH | Marked increase in PRL and normal increase in TSH (basal levels of total T4, free T4 and thyroid binding globulins within normal range) | -- | [52] |
6 | 38.0 ± 2.5c | -- | Amenorrhea and galactorrhea | Slightly elevated but within normal range | Within normal range | 11.5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | Markedly elevated | -- | -- | -- | -- | [53] |
6 | 42.8 ± 6.3c | -- | Amenorrhea without galactorrhea | Markedly elevated | Elevated | 21.3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | Within normal range | -- | -- | -- | -- | [53] |
2 | 40 and 26 | No treatment with tranquilizers in the past | Amenorrhea (3 and 7 months, respectively), galactorrhea, and recurrence of pseudocyesise | Normal | Normal | 0.6 and 2.1 | -- | Within the follicular phase range | Within the follicular phase range | -- | Within the normal range | -- | Marked or normal increase in LH and normal increase in FSH after GnRH | Marked increase in PRL, normal increase in TSH and paradoxical increase in GH after TRH (normal basal levels of TSH and T4, and normal fasting blood glucose levels) | Blunted increase of GH (PRL was not measured) after apomorphinea in one woman and no response of GH and normal decrease in PRL after bromocriptinea in the other woman | [54] |
1 | 16 | -- | Amenorrhea (5 months) without galactorrhea, and presence of a proliferative endometrium | Elevated (within the climacteric range) | Within the follicular phase range | 2.9 | -- | Within the follicular phase range | Within the follicular phase range | -- | Within the normal range | -- | Normal increase in LH and FSH after GnRH; and normal positive feedback of LH after EB | Normal PRL and TSH increase after TRH (normal basal levels of TSH) | Normal increase in PRL after metoclopramideb | [55] |
1 | 17 | -- | Amenorrhea (8 months) without galactorrhea, and the presence of a proliferative endometrium | Within the follicular phase range | Within the follicular phase range | 0.9 | -- | Within the follicular phase range | Within the follicular phase range | -- | Within the normal range | -- | Normal increment in LH and FSH after GnRH, and normal positive feedback of LH after EB | Normal PRL and TSH increase after TRH (normal basal levels of TSH) | Normal increase of PRL after metoclopramideb | [55] |
5 | 19-35 (median 22) | Women with a psychiatric condition that precluded informed consent were excluded | Amenorrhea (5.5-12.5 months), galactorrhea (3 women), and hirsutism (3 women, one of them with clitoromegaly) | Below the upper normal limit (<20 IU/L) with either low-normal or definitely low pulse amplitudes (early-follicular phase) | Within the follicular phase range | 1.2 | Elevated in 3 women. Another women with mildly elevated FAIf | Within the early-follicular range | Within the early-follicular range. | -- | Normal levels with greater release during sleep than during daytime (1 women displayed high PRL levels) | -- | -- | -- | -- | [56] |
9 | 24.9 ± 2.2d | -- | Amenorrhea (3–12 months) and galactorrhea (8 women) | Within the follicular phase range | Within the follicular phase range | 1.1 | -- | 6 women with lower levels than the follicular phase range | 2 women with luteal phase levels | 5 women exhibited impaired GH responses to hypoglycemia (4 of them also displayed E2 deficiency) | Within follicular phase range | Normal responses of cortisol to hypoglycemia (peak responses exceeded 600 nmol/L) | 4 women with exaggerated LH response (2 of them also with exaggerated FSH response) after GnRH | Normal PRL and TSH increase after TRH (1, 1 and 2 women had exaggerated PRL, GH and TSH responses, respectively) | Decrease in PRL. In 4 women, no increase in GH after L-DOPAa (3 of these women displayed also impaired GH response to hypoglycemia) | [57] |