The Effects of Progestin-Only Hormone Treatment on QT Interval in the Adolescent Female

Abstract

We describe the effect of exogenous progestin on the corrected QT interval (QTc) in adolescent females. In post-menarcheal females, <18 years old, we compared QTc in milliseconds (ms) on ECG evaluations in those taking exogenous progestin vs those who are not. There were 40 controls and 21 treated participants. The age range was 10–17 years. There were no differences between the groups with regard to race, height, weight, BMI, or blood pressure. In the controls, the mean QTc was 403 ±19 milliseconds (ms) vs. 397 ±15 ms in those treated (p = 0.22). Those on progestin therapy had a shorter QTc by the same magnitude difference (six ms) as the hormonal naïve group in the adult literature. We report no adverse effects of progestin associated with QTc prolongation and a trend suggesting a decreased QTc in a population of post-menarcheal adolescent females.