Endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome: enhanced stimulatory effect of peritoneal fluid on progesterone release from human granulosa-lutein cells

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To compare the activity of peritoneal fluid (PF) from women with and without endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on P release from cultured human granulosa-lutein cells. Case-control study. Medical school and hospital. Women with mild to moderate endometriosis or PCOS and controls undergoing laparoscopic sterilizations. Human granulosa-lutein cells, obtained from the IVF clinic, were cultured with increasing volumes of steroid-extracted PF samples with and without hCG. Progesterone concentrations in the media after 72 hours culture were measured by RIA. Peritoneal fluid stimulated P release in a dose-dependent manner and, at the highest dose, the response was enhanced significantly by PF from women with endometriosis and PCOS compared with control samples. The effects of PF plus hCG were not simply additive. There was a large potentiation of the response, which was greater in women with endometriosis and PCOS. Peritoneal fluid contains factors that stimulate P release and potentiate the response to hCG. The increased activity of PF associated with endometriosis and PCOS in part may have some significance in abnormal ovarian function associated with these syndromes.