THE URINARY EXCRETION OF INTERSTITIAL-CELL AND FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE ACTIVITY BY WOMEN WITH DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM*

Abstract

Changes in the day-to-day excretion of ICSH have been determined qualitatively over periods of six to 122 days in 11 young women with diseases of the reproductive tract by means of a technique which depends upon the repair of ventral prostatic atrophy in the hypophysectomized immature male rat. Changes in the excretion of FSH were estimated from concomitant changes in testicular weight. The quantitative relations between the day-to-day variations in rat ventral prostate and testis weight were examined by computing regression equations expressing the logarithmic change in prostatic weight per unit of change in testicular weight. It was found that: <1) Recognizable differences existed between these patients and normally menstruating women with respect to the excretion levels of both ICSH and FSH activity. (2) Erratic fluctuations were characteristic of the individual patterns of ICSH and FSH excretion in all of the subjects. Only in the 2 patients with the Stein-Leventhal syndrome who ovulated during post-operative studies was a mid-cycle peak discernible. (3) In 6 patients the regression coefficients fell significantly below the normal mean, suggesting a lowering of ICSH relative to FSH excretion.