Publications (2)5.13 Total impact
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Article: Nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker, delays the spontaneous LH surge in women with regular menstrual cycles: a prospective pilot study.
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Currently GnRH analogue injections are used to prevent premature LH surges in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology. This was a pilot study to determine the safety and effectiveness of nimodipine, an oral calcium channel blocker, to delay the mid-cycle spontaneous LH surge in women with regular menstrual cycles. METHODS: Eight women with regular menstrual cycles self-monitored three consecutive cycles for the day of an LH surge by daily urine assay. The first and third cycles were observatory. In the second cycle, subjects took nimodipine 60 mg by mouth three times daily for four days, starting two days prior to the expected LH surge day based on cycle one. RESULTS: The LH surge day in cycle 2 (nimodipine) was significantly delayed in comparison to both observatory cycle 1 (15.5+/-3.4 vs 14.0+/-2.8 days; p = 0.033) and cycle 3 (15.1+/-3.5 vs 13.1+/-2.4 days; p = 0.044). There was no difference in the LH surge day between the two observatory cycles (13.4+/-2.4 vs 13.1+/-2.4 days; p = 0.457). Three patients experienced a mild headache. CONCLUSIONS: There was a statistically significant delay in the spontaneous LH surge day in the treatment cycle in comparison to both observatory cycles. Nimopidine should be further investigated as an oral alternative to delay a spontaneous LH surge.Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 02/2013; 11(1):7. · 2.05 Impact Factor -
Article: The effect of acute aromatase inhibition on breast parenchymal enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging: a prospective pilot clinical trial.
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ABSTRACT: The breast is highly hormonally sensitive especially to the sex steroid hormone estrogen. Both physiological and iatrogenic steroid hormone modifications could affect how the breast tissue may appear in breast imaging techniques. We hypothesized that estrogen deprivation therapy could reduce breast nonspecific enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study was a prospective pilot phase II clinical trial. The study was approved by Health Canada and the institutional research ethics board, and participants signed informed consent forms. Sixteen healthy postmenopausal women were enrolled, and 14 completed the study. Baseline breast MRI was done followed 1 month later by administration of a high-dose aromatase inhibitor (letrozole 12.5 mg/day) for 3 successive days before a second breast MRI. Background breast parenchymal enhancement was compared between the pretreatment and posttreatment studies. There was a statistically significant reduction of the average background breast enhancement after treatment with aromatase inhibitors compared with baseline MRI. Of particular interest, specific areas of benign breast enhancement were reduced after aromatase inhibitor treatment. No significant adverse effects were recorded using this relatively high dose of the aromatase inhibitors. This preliminary study provided evidence that aromatase inhibitors could reduce the parenchymal background enhancement of benign breast tissue during MRI and may improve the specificity of the technique.Menopause (New York, N.Y.) 01/2012; 19(4):420-5. · 3.08 Impact Factor
