An estrogen test to determine the times of potential fertility in women.
Defined changes in the concentration of estrone glucuronide in daily samples of early morning urine have been used to locate the limits of the fertile period and the time of maximum conception probability during 118 cycles (106 menstrual, 12 conceptional) in 73 women. The peak day of urinary luteinizing hormone was used as an index of ovulation. Follicular growth was monitored daily by ultrasonography throughout 38 cycles, and the time of maximum follicular diameter was used as an alternative reference point to define the times of potential fertility according to the life spans of the gametes. With optimized algorithms and the best index of ovulation, the estrogen test delineated the limits of the fertile period in 89% of the tests (mean length, 10.8 days; range, 5 to 17 days) and the time of maximum conception probability in 82% of the cycles, with a mean time to the maximum follicular diameter of 0.42 days (range, -4 to +4 days).
D000328:Adult; D004970:Estrone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005306:Fertilization; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000652:urine; D008433:Mathematics; D008597:Menstrual Cycle; D008598:Menstruation; D012252:Natural Family Planning Methods; D010060:Ovulation; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014463:Ultrasonography
C015856:estrone-3-glucuronide; D004970:Estrone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone