Characterization of luteal function by measuring the cumulative concentration of serum progesterone and urine pregnanediol-3 alpha-monoglucuronide.

The corpus luteum function of healthy, fertile women was established by measuring the serum progesterone and the early-morning urine pregnanediol-3 alpha-monoglucuronide levels during the ovulation cycles. Integration of the results led to a parameter, the luteal index (Ll), which represents the overall hormone production that characterizes the luteal function quantitatively much better than the criteria used so far. The average of the integrated hormone concentrations (Ll) for progesterone and pregnanediol were 451.4 nmol/l X time and 151.3 mumol/l X time respectively. Statistical analyses show that values of luteal index below 348.9 nmol/l X time progesterone and 134.5 mumol/l X time pregnanediol can be regarded, with very high probability, as symptomatic of luteal dysfunction. The course of the production of both progesterone and pregnanediol is characterized. The importance of these parameters in functional infertility is discussed.