title: Measurements of salivary progesterone throughout the menstrual cycle in women suffering from unexplained infertility reveal high frequency of luteal phase defects.
abstract: Forty-five women suffering from unexplained infertility collected saliva for progesterone (P) measurements every morning during 1 to 3 complete cycles. A total of 27 cycles analyzed were unstimulated, 19 were stimulated by clomiphene citrate (CC), and 7 with CC, human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Compared with reference profiles of salivary P from 27 normal cycles, the length and magnitude of P secretion were significantly lower in the infertility group. Luteal P concentrations were normalized during CC stimulation and significantly elevated during the CC-hMG-hCG stimulation. The other abnormalities found in the salivary P profiles of these patients included preovulatory P peaks, interruption of P secretion during luteal phase, and high P level at the beginning of menstruation. The results suggest that patients with prolonged unexplained infertility represent a heterogenous population with common luteal phase defects. The disturbance is effectively corrected with treatments stimulating gonadotropin secretion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vuorento
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hovatta
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurunmäki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ratsula
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Huhtaniemi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002996:Clomiphene / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000502:physiology*; D008596:Menotropins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008597:Menstrual Cycle; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D002996:Clomiphene; D011374:Progesterone; D008596:Menotropins