Inhibition of ovulation in women by intranasal treatment with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist.

39 healthy women, aged 22-37 years, tested the efficacy of an intranasal dose of a potent and long-acting stimulatory luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone LRH analogue D-Ser(TBU)6-EA10-LRH once daily. Doses ranged from 87-600 mcg. All 8 women who were treated with daily intranasal doses of 87 or 174 mcg had signs of follicular growth during the treatment, and 6 of them had raised premenstrual progesterone (P) levels in blood. The P values were low during 4/6 presumptively ovulatory cycles, indicating defective corpus luteum function. 3/5 women treated with 348 mcg daily had anovulatory cycles, and the other 2 had very low P values, indicating again insufficient luteal function. Anovulation occurred in all but 2 of the 26 women who received 400 or 600 mcg daily. None of the women had dysfunctional uterine bleeding. 10/26 women treated with 400 or 600 mcg did not have any bleeding during the 5-week study period. The remaining 16 women experienced a menstrual-like bleeding after 26 days on average (range 21-34 days). 32/39 women have discontinued intranasal treatment with the analogue, and all of them ovulated within 4 weeks after discontinuation.