Faculty Collaboration Database

The 24-hour pattern of the levels of serum progesterone and immunoreactive human chorionic gonadotropin in normal early pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1990 Aug;71(2):345-53

Date

08/01/1990

Pubmed ID

2199478

DOI

10.1210/jcem-71-2-345

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0025151053 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   19 Citations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to characterize the levels of progesterone and hCG and the variability of those levels over 24 h in early pregnancy. Venous blood sampling was performed every 30 min during the first trimester of a subsequently normal pregnancy in 19 women. The variability in each progesterone and hCG data series was evaluated by three methods: 1) comparing the coefficient of variation (CV) of each individual hormone data set to the respective assay CV, 2) examining each data set for pulses, and 3) relating changes in hormone levels to the ingestion of a meal. The CV for each individual progesterone data set was greater than the assay CV (CV progesterone, 3.7%) in all subjects (range, 5.58-21.90%). The CV for each individual hCG data set was greater than the assay CV for hCG (CV hCG, 4.3%) in 17 of 19 subjects (range, 3.27-10.95%). Mean (+/- SE) progesterone and hCG peak frequencies were 2.4 +/- 0.3 and 1.7 +/- 0.3/24 h, respectively. When postprandial levels of progesterone were normalized to a percentage of preprandial levels, there were maximum decreases in mean progesterone levels of 15.4 +/- 2.6% and 13.1 +/- 1.9% 1 h after initiation of the lunch and dinner meals, respectively (P less than 0.05). Postprandial hCG levels decreased by 2.3 +/- 1.9% and 0.4 +/- 1.6% during this same time period (P greater than 0.05). These findings suggest that 1) both progesterone and hCG levels fluctuate during a 24-h period in early pregnancy; 2) this variability of both hormones is greater than inherent assay variability and can be resolved into a short term pattern of pulses, suggesting alterations in episodic secretion, metabolic clearance, or volume of distribution of the hormone; and 3) a portion of the variability in the progesterone time set may be due to the ingestion of meals.

Author List

Nakajima ST, McAuliffe T, Gibson M

Author

Timothy L. McAuliffe PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Chorionic Gonadotropin
Circadian Rhythm
Cross Reactions
Female
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Genetic Variation
Humans
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Trimester, First
Progesterone
Reference Values