OVARIAN THEEAPY 157 



Conditions Indicating Ovarian Therapy 



Ovarian Therapy in Amenorrhea, for Menopausal Symptoms and for 

 Functional Uterine Hemorrhage 



These topics are treated in the chapter on Clinical Syndromes of the 

 Female Gonads. 



Ovarian Therapy for Obesity of Hypogenital Origin. Obesity is 



a frequent manifestation of hypogenitalism, either the physiological hypo- 

 genitalism of the menopause or the acquired form due to disease or to 

 the surgical removal of the ovaries, as discussed in the chapter on Ovarian 

 Clinical Syndromes. The indication for ovarian therapy in these cases 

 would seem quite clear, although it is only fair to say that the administra- 

 tion of any of the ovarian or corpus luteum preparations alone usually does 

 not yield very striking results. Polytherapy in the form of mixed ovarian 

 and thyroid treatment is far more satisfactory. The thyroid extract in 

 these cases is given usually in small doses, especially since its use must be 

 kept up for a long period of time. 



It is rarely necessary to give more than about three grains a day, and 

 often the amount will be much smaller. This mixed treatment frequently 

 gives excellent results, not only in the reduction of obesity, but also in 

 the amelioration of the disagreeable subjective symptoms so commonly 

 associated with hypogenitalism. 



Ovarian Therapy in Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy. In 1916 

 Hirst (b) suggested the hypodermic administration of soluble corpus 

 luteum extract for the vomiting of pregnancy. According to his view "it 

 is not unreasonable to suppose that there is sufficient absorption from the 

 corpus luteum of pregnancy to account for disappearance of nausea, espe- 

 cially when one realizes that the nausea, begins to diminish at the time the 

 corpus luteum has reached its acme of development." With this idea he 

 gave 1 c.c. of the extract (20 mg.) daily, and reported 80 per cent of 

 successes in the 5 cases in which it had been used. In all of these the 

 injection was given into the muscles. In a second paper (1921) he (c) 

 urges that the injection be given into the veins. The advantages of this 

 method he summarizes as follows : "1. The material used is carried directly 

 into the circulation, giving the most rapid absorption possible. 2. It is pos- 

 sible and advisable to use a considerably larger dose (two or three am- 

 poules) than is possible with the intramuscular injection, in which more 

 than 1 c.c. causes considerable local reaction. 3. Each ampoule contains 

 only 0.2 gm. of the extract, and in this way the necessary total quantity can 

 be introduced more easily and quickly. 4. There is no local reaction or dis- 

 comfort of any kind after the injection. 5. Intravenous administration 



