PREGNANEDIOL DETERMINATIONS IN THE CLINIC AND IN RESEARCH*

Abstract

A survey of the author''s and his co-workers'' studies on pregnanediol excretion, using their chromatographic method. In normal pregnancy, the avg. excretion rises slowly from 6-16 mg./24 hrs. during the first 20 weeks and reaches a peak of 50 mg./24 hrs. 4 -8 weeks before delivery. In threatened abortion, the trend in a series of repeated detns. is much more informative than one single value. In toxemia, low pregnanediol levels are frequently associated with a dead or underdeveloped fetus. Pregnanediol excretion during the menstrual cycle parallels histologic findings in the endometrium and ovary; indicates the presence of a functional corpus luteum; and permits exclusion of gross sex hormone disorders of ovarian or pituitary origin. In research, pregnanediol detns. are useful in studies on metabolism, rate of resorption, and on duration of effect following progesterone admn. The effects, on pregnanediol excretion, of the mode of admn.; of vitamin E; of natural and synthetic estrogens; and of rheumatoid arthritis are discussed briefly.