Effects of a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich diet were investigated in 17 polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. After a 3-month habitual diet period, dietary fats were partly replaced with PUFAs for another 3 months. The PUFA-rich diet increased plasma linoleic acid from 28.36 +/- 1.00% to 33.76 +/- 1.08% (P < 0.002) and alpha-linolenic acid from 0.52 +/- 0.03% to 1.06 +/- 0.10% (P < 0.0001). Fasting glucose increased from 76 +/- 3 to 95 +/- 3 mg/dl (4.2 +/- 0.2 to 5.30.2 mmol/liter; P < 0.0001), and the area under the curve for glucose during oral glucose tolerance test increased from 421 +/- 34 to 503 +/- 31 mg/dl (23.4 +/- 1.9 to 27.9 +/- 1.7 mmol/liter; P < 0.001). Plasma insulin did not change either at fasting or during oral glucose tolerance test. Fasting plasma free fatty acids decreased from 0.596 +/- 0.048 to 0.445 +/- 0.058 mg/dl (P = 0.037), and ketone bodies decreased from 9.14 +/- 1.57 to 3.63 +/- 0.62 mg/dl (895 +/- 154 to 356 +/- 61 micromol/liter; P < 0.003). Plasma 15-deoxyprostaglandin J(2) tended to decrease (from 239 +/- 65 to 171 +/- 60 ng/ml; P = 0.053). Plasma testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, LH, FSH, and urinary estrogen conjugates did not change. Urinary pregnanediol 3-glucuronide increased from 18.6 +/- 2.2 to 31.0 +/- 5.7 micro g/mg creatinine (P = 0.038). In conclusion, increased dietary PUFA intake can exert significant metabolic and endocrine effects in women with PCOS.

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was applied to characterize the reproductive endocrinology of adult female black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Analysis of paired urine and fecal samples, collected from two females housed at San Diego Zoo, confirmed that the EIAs employed provided quantitative measurements of ovarian sex steroid hormones. Fecal metabolite levels were significantly correlated with those in urine, confirming that feces are a valid source of steroid metabolites in this species. The excretion of these metabolites in feces lagged urinary excretion by 1-2 days. The ovarian cycle profiles of the two captive females and five free-ranging females are comparable, with an average length of approximately 20-23 days. Cyclical bleeding, as previously reported, was observed in one of the two captive females. Pregnancy was detected in four free-ranging females, and early fetal loss for one female was indicated by hormonal data.

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