THE CONCENTRATIONS OF URINARY OESTRONE-3-GLUCURONIDE, LH AND PREGNANEDIOL-3α-GLUCURONIDE AS INDICES OF OVARIAN FUNCTION

Abstract

Methods based upon the principles of radioimmunoassay were developed and evaluated for the measurement of estrone-3-glucuronide, LH [lutropin] and pregnanediol-3.alpha.-glucuronide in samples of unextracted urine. The procedures were applied to daily urine (early morning fraction and combined 24 hour collections) from 6 women throughout one complete menstrual cycle and to serial samples from an additional 14 women who only collected early morning specimens. There were characteristic, well-defined changes in the concentration of all three metabolites in urine samples from all subjects. There was a reasonable correlation between the concentration of all three compounds in samples of early morning urine and the corresponding rates of excretion per 24 h. The procedures may be of value for monitoring ovarian function over long periods of time, without the problems of stress and inconvenience to the patient. The ratio of values for estrone-3-glucuronide to pregnanediol-3.alpha.-glucuronide may be used to indicate the start and finish of the fertile period.