GONADORELIN IS USED IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-GONADAL DYSFUNCTION. ASSESSMENT IS USUALLY BASED ON THE RESPONSE TO A DOSE OF GONADORELIN OF 100 MICROGRAMS BY INTRAVENOUS OR SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION. IN FEMALES, WHERE POSSIBLE, IT SHOULD BE GIVEN EARLY IN THE FOLLICULAR STAGE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. IN THE UK, THE BNFC INCLUDES A SINGLE DOSE OF 2.5 MICROGRAMS/KG, TO A MAXIMUM OF 100 MICROGRAMS, FOR CHILDREN FROM THE AGE OF 1 YEAR.
GONADORELIN IS ALSO USED IN THE TREATMENT OF AMENORRHOEA AND INFERTILITY ASSOCIATED WITH HYPOGONADOTROPHIC HYPOGONADISM. WEIGHT-RELATED AMENORRHOEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED BY DIET. TREATMENT IN SUCH CONDITIONS IS BASED ON AN INTERMITTENT PULSE PUMP PROVIDING 5 TO 20 MICROGRAMS OVER ONE MINUTE EVERY 90 MINUTES, EITHER SUBCUTANEOUSLY OR INTRAVENOUSLY, FOR UP TO 6 MONTHS OR UNTIL CONCEPTION.
GONADORELIN, OR MORE USUALLY ITS ANALOGUES SUCH AS BUSERELIN, GOSERELIN, LEUPRORELIN, NAFARELIN, AND TRIPTORELIN (WHICH ARE MORE POTENT AND HAVE A LONGER DURATION OF ACTION) ARE USED IN CRYPTORCHIDISM, MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS (ESPECIALLY OF THE PROSTATE), AND IN DELAYED AND PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY.