title: Characteristics of the urinary luteinizing hormone surge in young ovulatory women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define characteristics of the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in urine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic center.
  
  
  METHODS
  46 women aged 20 to 35 years with regular menstrual cycles.
  
  
  METHODS
  Collected first morning urine daily, throughout one menstrual cycle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urinary LH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estrone conjugate (E1C), and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PDG).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three women lacked LH surges. Mean LH surge: start = day 14.5 (+/-3.6 SD) (range: 9-26); peak = 41.2 mIU/mg creatinine (+/-20 SD) (range: 12.1-104.0); fold increase = 7.7 (+/-3.0 SD) (range: 2.5-14.8); duration = 7.6 days (+/-1.5 SD) (range: 5-11). The onset of LH surge was of two types: rapid onset (within 1 day) (42.9%) or gradual onset (2 to 6 days) (57.1%). Configurations of LH surges were of three types: spike (41.9%), biphasic (44.2%), or plateau (13.9%). All LH surges demonstrated a gradual decrease to baseline. Three women (7%) did not have FSH rises coincident with LH surges. All displayed E1C rises during the middle to late follicular phase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LH surges that result in ovulation are extremely variable in configuration, amplitude, and duration. The FSH rise does not seem essential for ovulation. However, an E1C rise occurred in all cycles, confirming the critical role of estrogen in induction of the LH surge.
authors: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey 07103, USA. parksj@umdnj.edu
authors: Susanna J
authors: SJ
authors: Park
authors: Laura T
authors: LT
authors: Goldsmith
authors: Joan H
authors: JH
authors: Skurnick
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Wojtczuk
authors: Gerson
authors: G
authors: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004967:Estrogens / Q000652:urine; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000652:urine*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D010060:Ovulation / Q000502:physiology*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011276:Pregnanediol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; C022270:pregnanediol-3 alpha-glucuronide; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D011276:Pregnanediol