Monitoring the female reproductive cycle of great apes and other primate species by determination of oestrogen and LH in small volumes of urine.
A practical approach for monitoring the reproductive cycle of primates is described. Ovulation, implantation, gestation and post-partum amenorrhoea were identified from measurements of total immunoreactive oestrogen and LH bioactivity in incomplete daily urine samples collected from various species, including a gorilla, a chimpanzee and an orang-utan. Oestrogen values were determined by radioimmunoassay of hydrolysed urine using a non-specific oestriol antiserum and LH was assessed by measuring testosterone output from dispersed rat Leydig cells. Both hormone measurements were indexed by urinary creatinine levels to help adjust for differences in urine concentration and volume.
D000818:Animals; D004967:Estrogens / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000652:urine*; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000502:physiology; D011148:Pongo pygmaeus / Q000502:physiology; D011323:Primates / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction
D004967:Estrogens; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone