Hormonal Regulation of Ovarian Folliculogenesis in Rhesus Monkeys: I. Concentrations of Serum Luteinizing Hormone and Progesterone during Laparoscopy and Patterns of Follicular Development during Successive Menstrual Cycles12

Abstract

Studies were conducted to determine if repeated laparoscopy in the same individual would alter the events that normally occur during the menstrual cycle. Three to 10 laparoscopic examinations were performed during each of 22 cycles in 13 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta); the average interval between examinations was 4 days. Six monkeys, which did not undergo laparoscopy, served as controls. No significant differences were noted between operated and unoperated animals in: a) incidence of ovulation during the treated cycle, b) length of follicular and luteal phases as well as the total length of the menstrual cycle and c) serum concentrations of LH during the preovulatory gonadotropin surge and of progesterone during the luteal phase of the treated cycle. Additionally, in 27 monkeys during 71 consecutive cycles, ovulation was found to occur with approximately equal frequency in each ovary regardless of the location of the previous corpus luteum, which indicated that the site for development of the preovulatory follicle alternated randomly between ovaries in successive menstrual cycles, apparently uninfluenced by the corpus luteum.