Treatment outcome of hyperprolactinaemic infertility with carbegoline in sub saharan Africa

ABSTRACT

Hyperprolactinaemia is a known cause of infertility. We explored the efficacy of carbegoline, the long acting dopamine agonist that was recently introduced into our medical practice. Seventy six patients with infertility secondary to hyperprolactinaemia were studied over a period of 20 weeks each. All the patients had carbegoline twice weekly for eight weeks. Two dosage regimen were used based on the pretreatment prolactin level; less than 50ng/ml had 0.25mg twice weekly [n=58] and 50ng/ml and above 0.5mg twice weekly [n=18]. Normalization of prolactin level was achieved in 75 [98.7%] patients. At the end of the study period, there was resumption of menstrual flow in 10 [76.9%] of the 13 patients that were amenorrhoiec and all the 39 [100%] patients that were oligomenorrhoeic had their normal menstrual cycle restored. Resumption of ovulatory cycles occurred in 87.7% of those with anovulatory cycles. Of the 76 patients, 69 [90.8%] got pregnant during the 20 weeks study. However, out of the 69 that got pregnant, 13 [18.8%] got pregnant while on carbegoline therapy. There was no case of carbegoline resistance or discontinuation recorded in this study. Carbegoline is a cost effective first line therapy in the management of infertile women with hyperprolactinaemia