Endocrine and metabolic indices during progestin (quingestanol) therapy.

31 volunteers (22-59 years) agreed to take 300 mcg of quingestanol each morning and to return for follow-up at 1 3 6 9 and 12 months of treatment. The study was completed on 12 women 19 completing 1-9 months. The medication was well tolerated. About half had consistently small decreases in the the length of the intermenstrual interval without change in the duration of flow. Body weight blood pressure and pulse rate and perception of vibrations remained essentially the same during treatment. A battery of routine endocrine and metabolic indices were performed including: carbohydrate metabolism and insulin and growth hormone indices urinary creatinine total estrogens 17-ketosteroids Porter-Silber chromogens and 11-desoxycortisol blood and serum solutes nitrogenous constituents enzymes and hepatic indices hematology and urine analysis. There were only minimal changes. Serum inorganic phosphorus levels were slightly above the pretherapy range but still within normal limits. The mean relative hematocrit during the latter 6 months of treatment was slightly above the starting value.