Low LH (hCG) receptor concentration in ovarian follicles in endometriosis.

The concentration of LH (hCG) receptors in the granulosa cells of ovarian follicles was assayed in 20 patients with histologically proven endometriosis and in 6 control patients. The levels of receptors in 15 patients with ovarian endometriosis (0.48 +/- 0.46 fmol/mg protein) and in 5 patients with endometriosis without ovarian involvement (0.51 +/- 0.52 fmol/mg protein) were lower (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.05, respectively) than in control patients (1.32 less than 0.61 fmol/mg protein). The severity of the disease was not reflected in the results. The low receptor concentration in endometriosis suggests a failure in the mechanism mediating LH action in the follicle.