The effect of clomiphene on the pituitary response to gonadotrophin releasing hormone

The study was performed on 10 women of whom 6 had primary amenorrhoea and 4 secondary amenorrhoea. Each woman was hypoestrogenic and did not respond with bleeding to the administration of a progestational agent only. The pattern of response to GnRH stimulation before clomiphene was not significantly different from that observed after clomiphene pretreatment and similar to that observed in other studies on amenorrhoeic patients. Clomiphene treatment did not change baseline levels of FSH and LH, indicating that there was no direct gonadotrophin releasing effect of the compound upon the pituitary gland. Response to the same GnRH stimulation was significantly increased following clomiphene therapy in the majority of patients studied. This finding indicates that clomiphene citrate exerts a direct potentiating effect (or sensitizing effect) upon the pituitary gland facilitating the release of both FSH and LH in response to GnRH stimulation.