Pituitary desensitization for eight weeks after the administration of two distinct gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists

Objective(s): The objective was to evaluate the duration of pituitary desensitization after the administration of 3.5 mg of triptorelin (T) and leuprolin (L) depot preparations in patients with endometriosis. Study design: Two groups of 30 patients received, on 21st day of the cycle, 3.75 mg i.m. of triptorelin (T group), and of leuprolin acetate (L group). From the first to the eighth week following gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) administration both groups underwent pelvic ultrasound and serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E2) evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using the ANOVA test and the median test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Pituitarysuppressionwasachievedfromtwotosixandfromtwotosevenweeksaftertheadministrationof3.75mgofleuprolinand triptorelin, respectively. FSH and LH serum levels were significantly higher in the L group than in the T group after the fourth week. Conclusions: Leuprolin and triptorelin depots (3.75 mg) promote satisfactory ovarian suppression lasting for six and seven weeks, respectively, after administration, with significantly different ambient levels of endogenous LH.