SYNDROME CHARACTERIZED BY GALACTORRHEA, AMENORRHEA AND LOW URINARY FSH: COMPARISON WITH ACROMEGALY AND NORMAL LACTATION*†

Abstract

THE combination of amenorrhea and persistent lactation, not associated either with a recent pregnancy or with acromegaly, has been sporadically noted in the past (1–5).1 Nevertheless, it was brought to our attention afresh by a patient who came to the Ovarian Dysfunction Clinic of the Massachusetts General Hospital nine years ago. Miss I.R., M.G.H. #374091, was an unmarried factory worker aged 31. She stated that she had been well, except for a congenitally dislocated hip, until the age of 25. Her periods started at 12 and occurred every thirty to forty days, with cramps. After the age of 25, she began to skip periods. This had happened more and more frequently until menstruation had stopped, a few months previously. When she was 27 years old she noted slight soreness in the right breast and a milky discharge from the nipple. The discharge seemed to be more marked just before a menstrual period, but was always present in some degree. Two other complaints dated from about the time her periods became irregular, namely, 1) an excellent appetite, with a tendency to gain weight, and 2) a growth of hair on her face and chest, sufficient to require the use of a depilatory once a week.