ABSTRACT
The female anatomy, mentality, and reproductive biochemistry are initiated, maintained, and controlled by hormones. The most direct approach to study the endocrine function of the ovary is to monitor the concentrations of secreted products in ovarian venous blood. The determination of the hormonal content of systemic blood offers the advantage of an approach which is both practical and more direct than urinary assays. The multiple interconversions of gonadal steroids in many tissues confuse assessment of their biological activity and role in reproductive biochemistry. The kinetics and mode of estradiol metabolism have been studied in a similar manner, but the results are less conclusive. The problems involved are associated with the extremely low levels of active compounds in body fluids and tissues and the relative instability of the phenolic A ring. The luteolytic factors that control the function and life span of the corpus luteum in women are completely unknown.
