ABSTRACT
A total of 134 women were studied, 75 of whom were using cyclic steroid contraception (ethinyl estradiol, 0.05 mg plus norgestrel, 0.5 mg) and 59 of whom had normal ovaulatory cycles. By radioimmunoassay techniques simultaneous determinations were made of total estrogens (TE) and progesterone (P) in both plasma and endometrium and of FSH and LH in plasma, covering all days of the pseudomenstrual and true menstrual cycles. As expected, the ovulating women showed a midcycle peak of plasma TE and an increase in plasma P thereafter, while no cyclic variations were observed in the treated group. Correlations of endometrial concentrations of TE and P with plasma FSH and LH levels are discussed. In 13 of the 75 treated women elevations of endometrial P concentrations were present, presumably demonstrating the "escape phenomenon." The possible future value of endometrial hormone determinations is suggested.
Subject(s)
Blood Chemical Analysis , Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic/pharmacology , Contraceptives, Oral/pharmacology , Endometrium/metabolism , Adult , Endometrium/physiology , Estrogens/blood , Estrogens/metabolism , Ethinyl Estradiol/pharmacology , Female , Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood , Humans , Luteinizing Hormone/blood , Menstruation , Norgestrel/pharmacology , Ovulation , Pregnancy , Progesterone/blood , Progesterone/metabolism , RadioimmunoassayABSTRACT
A method for radioimmunoassay determination of hormones in both plasma and endometrium is presented. Total estrogen (TE) and progesterone (P) concentrations were measured simultaneously in plasma and endometrium in 59 women throughout the menstrual cycle. TE values in endometrium showed an increase of 0.45 ng/gm wet tissue weight on days 7 to 9, reaching a peak of 4.89 ng/gm wet weight at midcycle; values of 2.2 ng/gm wet weight were constant during the secretory phase. The endometrial P concentrations were 5.31 and 44.93 ng/gm wet weight during the proliferative and luteal phases, respectively. Plasma P levels during the proliferative phase were below 1 ng/ml, in comparison with values above 5.71 ng/ml during the luteal phase. The quadratic coefficients of correlation between plasma and endometrial concentrations of TE and P were 0.8 and 0.9, respectively, indicating that under such conditions modifications in the amount of circulating hormones are reflected in the target tissue. These simultaneous studies may permit further investigation of the role of circulationg hormones in local biologic phenomena.