Abstract
Summary
Progesterone and 20 α-ol were assayed chemically in ovaries and effluent blood from the ovary of pregnant, pseudo-pregnant and superovulated rabbits. During pregnancy, the level of progesterone varied from 0.7 to 1.3 μg/ml blood and the level of 20 α-ol varied from 0.2 to 1.5 μg/ml blood with no significant correlation to stage of pregnancy. Progestin levels were correlated neither with number of corpora lutea nor to number of viable or degenerating implantations. At 9 days p.c., the total amount of ovarian progesterone was higher in pregnant than in pseudo-pregnant does; this was not the case for 20 α-ol. The levels and total amount of 20 α-ol in the ovaries were 2–5 times those of progesterone. There was significant correlation between the concentration of progesterone and 20 α-ol in the ovaries and that of the blood during pregnancy.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.