Shabanova SS et al. – The reported study shows the disease activity as a major factor associated with menstrual cycle disorders in SLE patients before treatment with alkylating agents and high doses of glucocorticoids (GC). Therefore, SLE women might be considered as a risk group for altered ovarian function. Methods
Study to assess the ovarian function in SLE pts with active disease before the treatment with high doses of GC and cytotoxic agents
94 female SLE pts (mean age of 29.2±7.0 yrs); mean SLEDAI score was 11.4±8.1
79 pts had a current use of GC with a median dose of 10 mg/d
The other 15 pts were untreated
40% of the pts were treated and high doses of GC (>30 mg/day); 68% from this group were treated with GC in combination with cyclophosphamide (CYC)
40 healthy women with the same mean age were evaluated as controls
Gynecological history and examination were carried out in pts and controls
Hormonal serum levels of FSH, LH, prolactin, estradiol E2 and progesterone in SLE pts and controls were measured by ELISA
Results
Menstrual cycle disorders with oligomenorrhea as dominant aspect were observed in 54% of SLE pts
Decreased progesterone level in 52% of pts, reduced E2 concentration in 25% of pts; increased levels of LH, FSH and prolactin were observed with the lower frequency
Menstrual cycle disorders and the hormonal unbalance were found related to high SLEDAI score
In the group of non-treated SLE pts the menstrual and hormonal disorders were observed in the same spectrum and with the same frequency as in all the examined SLE pts
SLEDAI score correlated with the frequency of menstrual cycle disorders in non-treated SLE pts
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