EXCRETION OF 6-Oxygenated METABOLITES OF PROGESTERONE AND 5β-Pregnane-3α,17α,20α-Triol DURING PREGNANCY

Abstract

The excretion of pregnanediol, pregnanetriol and the 6-oxygenated metabolites of progesterone by fifteen women has been measured throughout pregnancy. During the first trimester the level of excretion of the 6-oxygenated metabolites varied from 0\m=.\4to 2\m=.\2 mg./day and at the end of pregnancy the range was from 3\m=.\5to 11\m=.\6 mg./day. During the last 6 weeks of pregnancy, pregnanediol excretion was relatively constant, whereas in seven of the patients the excretion of the 6-oxygenated metabolites continued to increase. Except at the end of pregnancy there was a close correlation between the 6-oxygenated metabolites and pregnanediol excretion. The results suggest that the 6-oxygenated metabolites and pregnanediol have the same precursor and that little, if any, of a 6-oxygenated progesterone is secreted during pregnancy.There appears to be little increase in pregnanetriol excretion during pregnancy; six of the subjects showed a significantly higher excretion in the third trimester compared with the first trimester of pregnancy, but the values were not outside the normal range for non-pregnant subjects. The specificity of the method of Fotherby & Love (1960) for the estimation of pregnanetriol was examined when applied to pregnancy urine. Between 1\m=.\1and 2\m=.\4 % of administered progesterone was excreted as the 6-oxygenated metabolites. In only one of five subjects was pregnanetriol excretion increased after progesterone administration.

Plasma Levels of Progesterone in Pregnancy Measured by a Rapid Competitive Protein Binding Technique

“…The con¬ centration of testosterone does not increase significantly during pregnancy according to Mizumo et al (1968) but is clearly above the non-pregnant levels. The recovery of 17a-hydroxyprogesterone was about 25 per cent but its increase during pregnancy is small or nil as juged by the excretion of pregnanetriol (Fotherby et al 1965). The recovery of 17a-hydroxyprogesterone was about 25 per cent but its increase during pregnancy is small or nil as juged by the excretion of pregnanetriol (Fotherby et al 1965).…”

Corpus Luteum Function in Early Pregnancy

“…Fotherby (15) noted that urinary pregnanetriol was not increased during pregnancy but remarked that there was a tendency for it to increase in the third trimester. Other investigators (16,17) have found an increase in urinary pregnanetriol only in the third trimester.…”

Urinary 17-Hydroxycorticosteroids Measured by Gas-Liquid Chromatography

“…The marked fall post partum in the size of the pregnanediol and the more polar ' pregnancy ' peak is well shown. One would expect the 6-oxygenated progesterone metabolites of pregnancy (see Fotherby, James & Kamyab, 1965) to run in the region of the 'pregnancy' peak and 6a-hydroxypregnanediol (kindly supplied by Dr K. Fotherby) did, in fact, give rise to a peak in this region. One of us took a large dose of progesterone by mouth and the chromatogram of the urine showed both the pregnanediol and the ' pregnancy ' peak.…”