-Case Reports-

Valproate-Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in a Girl with Epilepsy: A Case Study

Yasuhiko Kawakami^1,2, Shuichi Fujii², Gen Ishikawa³, Atsuko Sekiguchi⁴, Akihito Nakai⁴ and Masato Takase²

¹Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan
²Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
³Department of Gynecology, Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Chiba, Japan
⁴Department of Gynecology, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common ovulatory disorder that can be induced by sodium valproate (VPA).
Patient: We report a case of PCOS that developed in a 15-year-old girl with idiopathic epilepsy after she took VPA. VPA administration stopped her seizures, but it also led to weight gain and amenorrhea, and the patient was diagnosed with PCOS on the basis of diagnostic imaging and serological examination results. Cessation of VPA administration led to reduced weight gain and restored menstruation.
Conclusions: The risk of PCOS developing in patients with epilepsy is known to be high, and the association of VPA with PCOS is well established, so if physicians feel this is the best drug to prescribe for female patients with epilepsy, they should carefully monitor the patients' weight and menstruation, and immediately perform ovarian imaging and hormonal examinations if any abnormalities are observed.

J Nippon Med Sch 2018; 85: 287-290

Keywords
sodium valproate, polycystic ovary syndrome

Correspondence to
Yasuhiko Kawakami, Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital, 1-396 Kosugi-cho, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 211-8533, Japan
kawakami@nms.ac.jp

Received, March 6, 2018
Accepted, May 9, 2018