Relationship between salivary progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and cortisol levels throughout the normal menstrual cycle of healthy postmenarcheal girls.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of salivary P and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) for the assessment of ovarian function. In addition, salivary cortisol (F) levels were measured to assess the role of the adrenal cortex throughout the menstrual cycle.
DESIGN: Prospective study.
SETTING: Outpatients in hospital for children and adolescents. PATIENT(S): Thirty young women with regular menstrual cycles. INTERVENTION(S): Saliva collection in the early morning from day 1 of menstrual bleeding until next menses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Salivary P, 17-OHP, and F measured by RIAs. RESULT(S): During days 1-12 of the follicular phase, P and 17-OHP levels remained unchanged (P: 9-29.3 pg/mL; 17-OHP: 8-31 pg/mL). Thereafter, P increased exponentially from day 13 onward, reaching a plateau (mean +/- SEM, 70.1 +/- 9.0 pg/mL) between day 16 and 20, followed by a constant decrease until end of the cycle. The 17-OHP levels increased between day 14 and 17 (maximum: 45.8 +/- 4.5 pg/mL), decreasing rapidly thereafter. The F levels remained unchanged (follicular: 7.5 +/- 1.1 ng/mL; luteal 7.2 +/- 1.1 ng/mL). There was a significant correlation between P and 17-OHP (r(2) = 0.43; P<.001). When calculating ratios of P/F and 17-OHP/F, linear regression yielded a much stronger correlation (r(2) = 0.74; P<.001), although F did not show any correlation to P or 17-OHP. CONCLUSION(S): Changes in salivary 17-OHP levels throughout the menstrual cycle reflect ovarian but not adrenal function.