5 β- Pregnane- 3α- 20α- Diol Excretion in Urine of University Women During the Menstrual Period

Five normal healthy young university women while on self-chosen diets and living under normal conditions served as experimental subjects in this study. Urinary pregnanediol was measured for 10 days of the menstrual cycle. Meal frequency ( 3 meals vs. 2 meals with no breakfast) was also included in the study. A modification of the method of Eberlein and Bongiovanni on thin layer chromatography was used to determine pregnanediol in the urine sample. Urine pregnanediol excretion was in the pattern as investigated by other workers. The values rose in the latter half of the menstrual cycle, and fell prior to the onset of the next period. No relationship was found between pregnanediol level and meal frequency. A larger number of subjects are recommended in the further work of this problem