Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Medical therapy with dopamine agonists is the best treatment for prolactinomas of any size or invasiveness and restores ovulatory cycles in 80–90% of patients. Cabergoline currently suggested nearly exclusively rather than other dopamine agonists due to its excellent tolerability and long half-life. That is why the question of safety using of this drug during pregnancy and embryo-fetal development is actual.

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the risk of pregnancy and fetal pathology in patients with prolactin-secreting tumors treated with cabergoline at early stages of gestation.

Materials and methods: The study included 24 patients from 24 to 38 years old with prolactin-secreting tumors, who become pregnant during therapy with cabergoline (Dostinex). A retrospective analysis of the outcomes of 33 pregnancies based on available medical records and questioning of the patients.

Results: Of the 33 pregnancies 26 resulted in births (78.8%), in one patient a spontaneous miscarriage was registered at 7 weeks (3.0%), six women required medical abortions due to the non-developing pregnancy on terms from 4 to 7 weeks (18.2%). In 6% of cases (two pregnant) gestational diabetes mellitus was diagnosed. The average gestational age was 39.8 weeks (36–41 weeks). Preterm delivery occurred in four women (15.3%). In total 27 children were born (in one case - twins), 26 (96.3%) of them were healthy at the time of the birth. The growth and development of the children did not differ from their peers in the general population.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that fetal exposure to cabergoline through early pregnancy does not induce any increase in the risk of miscarriage or fetal malformation. According the results of the study in patients with hyperprolactinemia risk of gestational diabetes mellitus is higher than in the population that require further investigations.