Bromocriptine in the treatment of secondary amenorrhoea and ovarian dysfunction in hyper- and normo-prolactinaemic patients.

The clinical use of bromocriptine (2.5 mg twice daily) was investigated in 40 women attending an infertility clinic and presenting with secondary amenorrhoea (18) or with ovarian dysfunction (22) which had failed to respond to anti-oestrogen therapy. Patients in each group were sub-divided into those with raised and those with normal prolactin levels, and re-examined at 3 and 12 months after the start of treatment. The results confirmed that bromocriptine is effective in the treatment of hyperprolactinaemic states whether there is amenorrhoea or not. Moreover, in cases of ovarian dysfunction as well as of amenorrhoea where the prolactin levels were within the normal range, there was evidence to suggest that bromocriptine can be associated with a return of ovulation, although the mechanism by which it might do so still needs evaluation.