Objective: To study the effects of valproate sodium (VPA) on the level and axle of pituitary gonadotropin in adolescent girls with epilepsy.
Methods: Twenty-three adolescent girls with epilepsy aged from 8 to 14 years were treated with VPA for 1 year. The levels of serum pituitary gonadotropin including estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin and testosterone were measured before treatment and 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after treatment.
Results: The serum levels of estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and prolactin in the children with epilepsy were not significantly different during the 1 year VPA treatment compared with pretreatment. However, the serum level of testosterone was reduced 1 year after treatment (0.4±0.3 ng/mL) compared with pretreatment (0.7±0.4 ng/mL) and 3 months after treatment (0.7±0.4 ng/mL) (P<0.05).
Conclusions: VPA treatment for 1 year does not increase serum levels of androgen in adolescent girls with epilepsy, suggesting that VPA is an ideal choice of treatment for the girls.