[The role of the female sex hormones in the pathogenesis of catamenial epileptic seizures].

The paper presents the results of evaluation of gonadotropins and female steroids concentrations in 46 female epileptics on catamenia day 1, in the middle of follicular and lutein phases. The control consisted of 7 healthy females of the same age with favourable heredity and free of neuroendocrine diseases. Two groups of patients were distinguished: females with catamenial epileptic seizures and those with catamenia-independent seizures. It is shown that changes in the concentrations of female steroid sex hormones were unidirectional in both the groups with a tendency to deficient luteal phase and relative hyperestrogenemia in all the cycle phases. The involvement of insufficient activation produced by brain stem formation reticularis in pathogenesis of catamenial epilepsy in suggested. A pathogenetic approach to epilepsy treatment in females when hormonal status is considered and psychostimulators are used is proposed.