Prediction and detection of ovulation by the measurement of urinary pregnanetriol-3 alpha-glucuronide. A multicentre study.

The urine excretion pattern of pregnanetriol 3 alpha-glucuronide (PT-3G) throughout the menstrual cycle in 26 normal ovulating women was evaluated in a multicentre study. The concentration of PT-3G was measured by radioimmunoassay in daily samples of early morning urine (EMU) from 20 women for three consecutive cycles and from 6 women who conceived during the period of study. PT-3G was also measured in 24-h urine samples from 5 additional women. The peak of urine LH was used as a reference point for ovulation (Day 0). The EMU concentration of PT-3G in the follicular phase of 60 normal ovulatory cycles was 5.10 mumol/l +/- 0.11 (arithmetic mean +/- SE). The first PT-3G defined rise (CUSUM analysis) occurred during the late follicular phase (Days -3 to 0) with a PT-3G maximum excretion (9.69 mumol/1 +/- 0.55) on Day 0, whereas a PT-3G excretion peak occurred during mid-luteal phase (Days +5 to +9). The overall PT-3G excretion during the luteal phase (8.06 mumol/1 +/- 0.17) was significantly higher than that of the follicular phase (P less than 0.001). A further sustained increase in PT-3G excretion was noted after day +11 in the conceptional cycles. The 24-h excretion profile of PT-3G was similar to that obtained in EMU samples. No inter-centre significant variation was noticed in terms of PT-3G concentration values. The results were interpreted as demonstrating that the PT-3G excretion profile throughout the cycle exhibits a close resemblance to that of serum 17-OH progesterone. The data also indicates that although the immunoanalytical measurement of this urine steroid metabolite does not give an early sign for the occurrence of ovulation, it can be used for both the immediate prediction and the detection of ovulation.

A rapid and sensitive radioimmunoassay for norethisterone.

A direct radioimmunoassay for the measurement of norethisterone (NET) in unextracted serum samples was developed. The combined use of a highly specific unpurified antiserum and heat treatment of diluted serum samples obviated both extraction and chromatographic procedures. The direct NET assay fulfilled all the quality control parameters. When this assay was compared with other methods involving either solvent extraction and/or chromatographic purification procedures, no significant differences were observed. The overall results were interpreted as demonstrating that this simple, rapid and reliable NET assay can be used as a helpful tool in metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies of this contraceptive progestogen.

[Hormonal tissue concentration and oral contraceptives: the endometrium]. / Concentración hormonal tisular y los anticonceptivos orales: el endometrio.

PIP: The study investigates hormonal control of the menstrual cycle, adrenal function role, and endouterine menstrual disorders by an analysis of peripheral hormones and of their concentration at endometrial level. The authors also present a new radioimmunoassay method for determining hormone presence in plasma and in the endometrium. 59 ovulatory cycles were considered, and ovarian hormones were found to be 10-20 times higher in tissue than in plasma, but not in women under sequential or combined oral contraceptive treatment. The relation between endometrial estrogens and progesterone with plasma follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels is discussed, together with the significance of tissue hormone concentration.^ieng

Blood and semen androgen values in a young unmarried population.

A radioimmunoassay procedure for testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in blood and semen plasma was developed using antisera against both androgens. The method utilized 0.5 ml and 1.0 ml volumes of blood plasma and semen respectively, and satisfies the recognized criteria of reliability. Determinations of T and DHT were performed on 33 healthy male unmarried subjects, aged 21-25 years old, and then compared to the sperm count. The T/DHT blood ratio was 7.8 and the correlation was r = 0.50, P less than 0.01, while the T/DHT semen ratio was 0.42 and the correlation r = 0.55, P less than 0.01. The T/DHT, blood/semen ratio was 10.8. No significant relationship was observed either between blood plasma androgens or semen plasma androgens and sperm concentrations.

Assessment of the specificity of norethisterone radioimmunoassays.

PIP: Specifities of 4 different norethisterone (Nor) antisera (coded A,B,C, and D) were evaluated and compared by cross-reaction studies to relate the antiserum specificity to the overall specificity of the radioimmunoassay (RIA), as established by plasma levels measured in women regularly taking the microdose of Nor (300 mcg/day). Using any of the 4 antisera, no significant deviation from parallelism were found among graded doses of authentic Nor and increasing volumes of plasma from women taking Nor for contraception. Cross-reaction studies preceded by chromatography to decrease plasma blanks are described, with each antiserum compared to the others for its efficacy in estimating plasma Nor values. It was concluded that 1) the significance of cross-reaction studies as well as that of a parallelism test for assessing overall specifity of the RIA is limited; 2) a single chromatography before RIA improves assay specificity but may not be sufficient to remove all interfering compounds; and 3) a comparison of direct and chromatographic procedures using several different antisera is useful for selection of the relatively most specific RIA procedure. These study results indicated that either antiserum C or D (preceded by chromatography) will yield better results than A or B.^ieng

[Physiology of the ovary. VI. Anovulatory menstruation]. / Fisiología óvarica. VI. Menstruación anovulatoria

In 65 patients with menstrual cycle alterations--in it's length and/or amount of bleeding--estradiol-progesterone relationship was studied. The plasma levels of these hormones were correlated with basal temperature, length of menstrual cycle and histologic study of endometrium. The patient- were grouped as follows: I excessive menstrual bleeding; II short menstrual cycles; III long menstrual cycles; IV increment of bleeding period and, V uterine hemorrhage. All patients had an anovulatory menstrual cycle; peripheral concentration of progeseterone was less than 6 ng/ml and mean concentration of estradiol was not statistically higher than that found in normal patients (83+/-23 pg/ml). Based upon these findings, it is postulated that the term of hyperestrogenism or excessive estrogen production should not be used when referring to these menstrual cycle alterations.

[Cyclic concentration of estradiol and progesterone in hysterectomized women (author's transl)]. / Concentracíon cíclica de estradiol y progesterona en mujeres histerectomizadas

PIP: The cyclic concentration of estradiol and progesterone was studied in 6 women, 30 years of age or less, who underwent hysterectomy, 7 to 14 months earlier, because of obstetrical complications. The basal body temperature curve, as well as the daily concentrations of plasma estradiol and progesterone during one cycle, showed a pattern similar to that of the control group, except for 2 women with a luteal phase of 16 days, who had progesterone levels of 5 ng/ml or more. Although these values are indicative of ovulation, they fell in the lower limit of the range considered as ovulatory in the laboratory that conducted the test. It is concluded that hysterectomy, with the interruption of the circulation of the ovaric branch of the uterine artery, does not affect the normal esteroidogenic function of the ovary.^ieng