Open AccessHUMAN ENDOMETRIUM CONTAINS RELAXIN THAT IS PROGESTERONE‐DEPENDENT
Author(s) -
YkiJärvinen H.,
Wahlström T.,
Seppälä M.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016348509158210
Subject(s) - endometrium , relaxin , estrogen , medicine , endocrinology , progestogen , hormone , uterus , menstrual cycle
. The avidin—biotin immunoperoxidase method using two anti‐porcine relaxin antisera was employed to study the occurrence of relaxin in the endometrium of 102 pre‐ or postmenopausal women. Relaxin was not found in the endometrium in the following conditions: 1. normal proliferative phase (n = 27), 2. cystic glandular hyperplasia (n= 12), 3. early secretory endometrium during 1–3 post‐ovulatory days (n=12), 4. atrophic endometrium from postmenopausal women not taking hormones (n = 7), and 5. atrophic or proliferative endometrium of women undergoing estrogen replacement therapy (n = 5). Relaxin was invariably present 1. in the secretory endometrium from natural cycles after day 3 postovulation (n = 28), 2. in the secretory endometrium of previously unovulatory premeno‐pausal women taking progestogens (n = 6), and 3. in the secretory endometrium during the latter part of the cycle of postmenopausal women undergoing estrogen—progestogen replacement therapy (n = 5). Our results indicate that the occurrence of relaxin in the endometrium is progesterone‐dependent, but the corpus luteum is not required for relaxin synthesis to occur in non‐pregnant women. The timing of the appearance of relaxin in the endometrium during natural cycles coincides with implantation, thus suggesting a role for relaxin in the early events of human reproduction.