CORPUS LUTEUM FUNCTION IN EARLY PREGNANCY FOLLOWING OVULATION INDUCTION WITH BROMOCRIPTINE

Abstract

Serum and prolactin levels and urinary oestrogen and pregnanediol excretion were measured during early pregnancy in 12 hyperprolactinaemic subjects who became pregnant during treatment with bromocriptine. Prolactin levels were suppressed below normal whilst taking the bromocriptine, but rose significantly when this drug was stopped and by eight weeks of gestation reached values significantly higher than those observed in normal pregnancy. Further increases in prolactin levels were, however, not observed. Urinary oestrogen and pregnanediol excretion was initially normal but, following cessation of bromocriptine, urinary pregnanediol excretion decreased and was significantly less than normal at 11 to 14 weeks gestation. These results suggest that elevated prolactin levels affect corpus luteum function of early pregnancy. Because the effect is maintained until at least 14 weeks gestation, prolactin may also affect progesterone production by the placenta.