URINARY PREGNANEDIOL DETERMINATION AS A TEST OF PREGNANCY*

Abstract

IN 1936 Venning and Browne (1) described the isolation of a water-soluble pregnanediol complex from human pregnancy urine. In 1937 Venning, Henry and Browne (2) described the measurement of this complex and the same year Venning (3) published a gravimetric method for determination of sodium pregnanediol glucuronidate in urine, and presented evidence of its metabolism from progesterone. Venning and Browne (4) and Venning, Henry and Browne (5), using this procedure, reported the presence of significant amounts of the complex in urine from women in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Subsequently, these workers and many others using the same procedure, investigated the urinary excretion of sodium pregnanediol glucuronidate in pregnant and nonpregnant women (6–18). Urinary sodium pregnanediol glucuronidate levels were reported to be of value in the diagnosis of pregnancy, of threatened abortion, and determination of the date of ovulation, all states reflecting a change in luteal activity. Since Venning's...