Hyperandrogenism, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Conditions
Keywords
PCOS, hyperandrogenemia
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of elevated male hormones in adolescent girls and how they effect the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If the investigators understand the effects of elevated male hormones levels in girls, the investigators may be able to better treat girls with elevated male hormone levels and perhaps even learn how to prevent the development of PCOS. Females with elevated levels of male hormones respond differently to estrace (estradiol) and progesterone than females with normal male hormone levels. The investigators will be giving you estrogen and progesterone to see how you respond after the male hormone has been blocked by a medication called flutamide.
Detailed description
Similar to women with PCOS, girls with hyperandrogenemia have an increased frequency of LH pulses when compared to age matched controls. An ongoing study by our group is investigating whether the progesterone insensitivity of the GnRH pulse generator in adult women with PCOS is also seen in adolescent girls with hyperandrogenemia. Analysis of the data to date suggests that the hyperandrogenic adolescent girls have decreased hypothalamic progesterone sensitivity when compared to adolescent controls, with a subgroup (consisting of approximately half of the hyperandrogenic girls) having marked progesterone insensitivity similar to that seen in adult women with PCOS. These data have recently been published. Given that androgens mediate hypothalamic progesterone insensitivity in adult women with PCOS, we hypothesize that androgens play a similar role in adolescent girls with hyperandrogenemia and that progesterone sensitivity can be restored with the use of the androgen receptor blocker flutamide. Better understanding the effects of hyperandrogenemia in adolescence and its role in the development of PCOS will hopefully lead to improved prevention and treatment strategies for PCOS. This may prove increasingly important if the current epidemic in childhood obesity results in a growing number of girls with elevated androgen levels.
Interventions
DRUGFlutamide
Subjects weighing \> 50 kg will receive 250 mg orally twice a day, and subjects weighing \< 50 kg will receive 125 mg orally twice a day.
DRUGProgesterone
oral progesterone suspension (20 mg/ml, 25-100 mg) three times a day at 0700, 1500, and 2300 hr for seven days
DRUGestrace
0.5-1 mg once a day for seven days
Sponsors
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
University of Virginia
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
13 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Girls ages 13 to 17 * Tanner IV or V stage of puberty * Post-menarche * Hyperandrogenemic (total testosterone \> 0.4 ng/mL or free testosterone \> 35 pmol/L) with or without hirsutism * Normal aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) (AST \< 35 U/L, ALT \< 55 U/L) * Hemoglobin \> 12 mg/dL or Hematocrit \> 36% * Normal screening labs (with exception of the expected hormonal abnormalities inherent in hyperandrogenemia) * Sexually active subjects must agree to abstain or use double barrier contraception during the study * Subjects must agree not to take any other medications during the course of the study without approval by the study investigators
Exclusion criteria
* Abnormal screening labs (with the exception of the expected hormonal abnormalities inherent in hyperandrogenemia) * Elevated AST/ALT (AST \> 35 U/L, ALT \> 55 U/L) * Hemoglobin \<12 mg/dL or hematocrit \< 36% * Weight \< 32 kg * History of liver disease, peanut allergy, deep venous thrombosis, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, or cervical cancer * Pregnant or breastfeeding * On medications known to affect the reproductive axis within 3 months of the study (including oral contraceptive pills, metformin, and spironolactone) * On medications known or likely to inhibit or induce CYP1A2 or CYP3A4 (please see Restrictions on use of other drugs or treatments section below for common examples of such drugs) * Are currently participating in another study or have been in one in the last 30 days.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Slope of the Percent Change in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Pulses as a Function of Day 7 Progesterone Level | 3 weeks after flutamide treatment | The primary outcome variable for the study is the slope of the percent change in LH pulses as a function of day 7 progesterone level. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Flutamide, Estrace, Progesterone For flutamide, subjects weighing \> 50 kg will receive 250 mg orally twice a day, and subjects weighing \< 50 kg will receive 125 mg orally twice a day for approximately 3 weeks.
Subjects will be given oral estrace, 0.5-1 mg once a day for 7 days following the first overnight study admission.
Subjects will be given oral progesterone suspension (20 mg/ml, 25-100 mg) three times a day at 0700, 1500, and 2300 hr for seven days following the first overnight study admission.
Flutamide: Subjects weighing \> 50 kg will receive 250 mg orally twice a day, and subjects weighing \< 50 kg will receive 125 mg orally twice a day.
Progesterone: oral progesterone suspension (20 mg/ml, 25-100 mg) three times a day at 0700, 1500, and 2300 hr for seven days
estrace: 0.5-1 mg once a day for seven days | 4 |
| Total | 4 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Elevated screening liver enzymes | 1 |
| Overall Study | Physician Decision | 1 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Flutamide, Estrace, Progesterone |
|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 4 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 15.5 years |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 4 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 4 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 4 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 0 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 4 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 1 / 4 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 4 |
Outcome results
Primary
Slope of the Percent Change in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Pulses as a Function of Day 7 Progesterone Level
The primary outcome variable for the study is the slope of the percent change in LH pulses as a function of day 7 progesterone level.
Time frame: 3 weeks after flutamide treatment
Population: One subject completed the study but had not taken the study medication so her data is unusable. The second subject completed the study. However, no data were formally analyzed. We were subsequently unable to recruit any additional subjects.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Flutamide, Estrace, Progesterone | Slope of the Percent Change in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Pulses as a Function of Day 7 Progesterone Level | -0.55 percentage of slope change |