Effects of GnRH Agonists on Pituitary Gonadotropins: Dissociated Secretion of Subunits in Children with Precocious Puberty Treated with [D-Trp6]LHRH Microcapsules

Long term administration of GnRH agonists is currently considered as the treatment of choice for precocious puberty. For the first time, we have at our disposal an efficacious and specific treatment of the disorder responsible for the syndrome called precocious puberty. Whether of idiopathic or neurogenic origin, true precocious puberty is primarily a hypothalamo-pituitary disorder. It is at this location that the GnRH agonists exert their effect. Knobil’s experiments in monkeys [1] provided a rationale for agonist treatment by showing that continuous infusion of GnRH caused suppression of gonadotropin release. Our understanding of the mechanism of action of GnRH agonists is however incomplete and many questions arise when the gonadotropin secretory patterns during agonist treatment are considered.