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Faculty of Nursing Science, Laval University, Québec City, Canada
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Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Service of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Objective
Little is known about how women with isolated GnRH deficiency cope with their condition. This study aimed to examine the health and informational needs of women with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) and evaluate if their experiences differ from women with more common forms of infertility.
Design
Cross-sectional, multiple methods study using web-based data collection to reach dispersed rare disease patients.
Methods
A community-based participatory research framework was employed to develop an online survey and collect quantitative and qualitative data. Adult women diagnosed with CHH who had received at least one year of hormonal treatment completed the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Information on health care experiences, treatment outcomes and patient-reported challenges were also collected.
Results
Women (n = 55) were often diagnosed late (20.7 ± 7.4, range: 10–48 years) and 16/20 patients receiving fertility treatment conceived. Poor adherence was frequently observed (34/55) while more than half (27/49) reported a gap in treatment exceeding a year. Low adherence correlated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.3, P > 0.05). Negative illness perceptions were pervasive and 30/55 exhibited some depressive symptoms – significantly greater than women with common female factor infertility (P < 0.01). Symptoms were underappreciated by providers as only 15 of 55 patients had discussions about psychological services. Women identified isolation, need for information and finding expert care as challenges to living with CHH.
Conclusions
Despite being a treatable form of female infertility, the presumable availability of treatment does not necessarily ensure adequate quality of life for women with isolated GnRH deficiency.
Department of Endocrinology, St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
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Department of Endocrinology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Department of Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Endocrine Research Group, Institute of Genetic Medicine, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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We present herein our 20-year experience of pubertal induction in apubertal older (median age 56 years; range 38.4–69.5) men with congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (n = 7) using a simple fixed-dose and fixed-interval intramuscular testosterone that we originally pioneered in relation to achieving virilisation of natal female transgender men. This regime was effective and well tolerated, resulting in complete virilisation by around 1 year after treatment initiation. No physical or psychological adverse effects were encountered in this group of potentially vulnerable individuals. There were no abnormal excursions of laboratory parameters and extended follow-up beyond the first year of treatment revealed remarkable improvements in bone density. We highlight advantages to both patients and physicians of this regime in testosterone-naïve older men with congenital hypogonadism and discourage the over-rigid application to such patients of treatment algorithms derived from paediatric practice in relation to the evaluation and management in younger teenagers with delayed puberty of uncertain cause.
