系统性红斑狼疮患者血清性激素水平的研究

目的探讨性激素在系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)发病及病程中的作用。方法测定33例SLE患者血清雌二醇(E2)、孕酮(P)、睾酮(T)、黄体生成素(LH)、卵泡刺激素(FSH)、泌乳素(PRL)的水平。对照组采用年龄、性别和卵巢周期与病例组1:1配对的原则。结果SLE整体组及活动组,PRL均显著升高(P<0.01),LH与T均显著降低(P<0.01)。FSH与LH,LH与PRL存在高度相关性(P<0.01或0.05)。FSH和T对SLE活动性评分的价值最大。结论SLE患者血清中LH与T降低与病情活动有关;对SLE活动评分最有价值的性激素为FSH和T。     

老年男性骨密度的增龄改变与骨代谢有关激素的相关性研究

目的探讨老年男性增龄与骨密度(BMD)及骨代谢有关激素的关系。方法123例老年男性按年龄分成3组,分别测定骨密度及血清甲状旁腺素(PTH)、睾酮(T)、雌二醇(E2)、卵泡刺激素(FSH)、黄体生成素(LH)并进行比较。结果老年男性BMD随增龄而减少,在股骨近端和髋关节处更为明显(P<0.05),在腰椎不确定;老年男性T、E2处于低水平,而FSH、LH及PTH随增龄而增高,FSH更为明显(P<0.05)。结论随着增龄,老年男性MBD下降,T、E2水平低下,而FSH、LH和PTH水平增高。提示体内骨代谢有关激素的变化,可能是老年男性骨质疏松症发病的重要机制之一。     

The hormonal status of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy: FSH, LH, TSH and prolactin responses to releasing hormones.

In order to determine whether the benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) adenoma is responsible for low serum LH levels in patients with this disease, we measured FSH, LH and prolactin in sera collected from patients before and 0.8–2.2 years after retro-pubic prostatectomy, but found no change in their levels. Pituitary stimulation tests were therefore conducted to evaluate the pituitary hormone reserve in normal elderly men, and BPH patients before and after removal of the BPH adenoma. Blood was drawn 20 min before and during the administration of 100 μg LHRH and 200 μg TRH, as a single intravenous injection, and after 20, 60 and 120 min. Serum FSH, LH, TSH and prolactin were estimated by radioimmunoassays. Prior to prostatectomy, patients with BPH had significantly lower levels of serum LH, but not FSH, TSH or prolactin, as compared to normal men 20 min before the test. Serum LH in the BPH group after prostatectomy (1–2.75 years) was not statistically different from that of normal age-matched men, but the mean level more closely resembled that of the untreated BPH group. Although there were no significant differences in serum levels of FSH or prolactin between subject groups during stimulation, levels of LH and TSH in untreated BPH patients' serum were significantly lower than those of normal men. The BPH patients after prostatectomy resembled the normal men under these circumstances, and the serum levels of TSH in these ex-BPH patients were significantly higher than in untreated BPH patients. Similarly, the maximum LH and TSH responses to the hypothalamic releasing hormones were also significantly lower in the BPH patients as compared to normal age-matched men, and evidently return to normal 1–2.75 years after prostatectomy. No statistically significant differences were observed in the FSH and prolactin responses to LHRH and TRH between groups. The results suggest that a factor originating from the BPH adenoma, such as 5α-dihydrotestosterone, may be responsible for the suppression of pituitary LH and TSH responses to LHRH and TRH, respectively. It also appears that the pituitary of BPH patients does not regain its full secretory potential after the BPH adenoma has been removed, or that an additional factor may regulate pituitary LH secretion in the untreated and ex-BPH patients at the hypothalamic level.     

Interrelationships between ovarian and pituitary hormones in ovulatory menstrual cycles across reproductive age

CONTEXT: Ovarian hormones regulate pituitary gonadotropin secretion across the menstrual cycle via negative and positive feedback mechanisms. The contribution of individual hormones is complex and is a continuing area of research. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify relationships between LH/FSH and estradiol, progesterone, inhibin A, inhibin B, and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in ovulatory menstrual cycles across reproductive age. DESIGN: Serum ovarian and pituitary hormones were studied in a group of young (<35 yr; n = 21) and older (>45 yr; n = 55) women. The slopes of the regression lines relating the ovarian and pituitary hormones were determined by multiple linear regression analysis and expressed with 95% confidence intervals for each ovarian hormone, with FSH and LH as independent variables. Both simultaneous and delayed (time lagged) relationships were examined. RESULTS: Clear associations were evident for the lagged prediction of FSH, with significant negative associations being evident with inhibin B and AMH in the follicular phase and with estradiol, inhibin B, progesterone, and AMH in the luteal phase. For the lagged prediction of LH, significant positive and negative associations were observed with estradiol and inhibin B, respectively, in the follicular phase and a negative association with progesterone and inhibin B in the luteal phase. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that in the follicular phase, inhibin B is a major feedback regulator of FSH and may also be a negative feedback regulator of LH. AMH may be indirectly involved in FSH regulation.     

Bone turnover and hormonal perturbations in patients with fibromyalgia

OBJECTIVE: Studies of bone turnover in fibromyalgia (FM) have, to date, shown conflicting results. Although most patients with FM are women, only a few investigations have paid attention to the changes of sex hormones in FM. Moreover, FM is often viewed as a stress related disorder, and abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have been found in FM. The aim of the study was to assess bone turnover using serum osteocalcin and CTx in patients with FM and study correlation between bone turnover parameters and parathormon and hormones of the HPA axis. METHODS: A total of 81 subjects participated in this study: 41 healthy volunteers and 40 patients with FM. Serum osteocalcin, crosslaps (C-telopeptide: CTx), parathyroid hormone (PTH), testosterone, estrogen, prolactin, FSH, and LH were measured. The mean age of the study population was 49.5 (7.6) years (32-69) and the mean disease duration was 8.1 (12.0) years (4.5-30.7). RESULTS: No difference between patients and controls were observed in serum calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, albumin, osteocalcin, testosterone, and urinary calcium. Patients had lower serum levels of CTx, estrogen, PTH and prolactin than controls and higher serum levels of LH and FSH with a significant statistical difference. No significant statistical correlation was observed between intensity of pain and fatigue and bone turnover parameters and PTH or hormones of the HPA axis. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that patients with FM had low bone resorption and normal bone formation compared to a control group. This was not related to several hormonal perturbations observed in these patients and may reflect functional impairment as suggested in previous studies.     

The effects of dopamine agonist (bromocriptine) on the secretion of pituitary gonadotropins and ovarian sex steroids in normally cycling women

To investigate the effects of bromocriptine on the secretion mechanism of pituitary gonadotropins and ovarian sex steroids, 5 mg of bromocriptine was administered to four normally cycling women in the follicular, pre-ovulatory, mid-luteal or menstrual phase, respectively. Blood samplings were taken from two hours before until six hours after the administration every 15 min. by an intravenous indwelling catheter. Serum FSH, LH, prolactin, estradiol and progesterone were determined by RIA, and the changes of basal levels and the pulsatile patterns of these hormones were analysed in each of the four phases. Serum prolactin levels decreased significantly (p less than 0.005) from two hours after the administration of bromocriptine and remained in a very low range in all phases of the cycles until the end of the experiments. The basal levels of FSH showed a significant decrease in the pre-ovulatory and mid-luteal phases two to six hours after the administration (p less than 0.025 approximately p less than 0.005). Also the basal levels of LH showed a significant decrease in the follicular, pre-ovulatory and mid-luteal phases two to six hours after the administration (p less than 0.05 approximately p less than 0.005). However, no significant change was observed in the amplitude or the frequency of the pulsatile patterns of FSH and LH in all phases of the menstrual cycles. The serum levels of estradiol did not show marked changes by the administration of bromocriptine, but the serum levels of progesterone were significantly decreased in the mid-luteal phase two to six hours after the administration (p less than 0.005). These facts suggest that bromocriptine acts mainly on the pituitary rather than the hypothalamus to decrease the serum levels of gonadotropins, and also may have some role in the steroidogenesis of the ovary.     

Annual cycle of pituitary and plasma gonadotropins and plasma sex steroids in a wild population of the toad, Bufo japonicus

Pituitary and plasma gonadotropins and plasma sex steroids of free-living toads, Bufo japonicus, were measured monthly from March 1981 to February 1982 and examined in relation to gonadal cycles. Toads were captured at Mizuno, Saitama Prefecture. Individual blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture within 3 min of capture in the field. In males, testicular weight was maximal in August. Plasma follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels changed in association with testicular weight. Plasma androgen levels showed a small peak in November and a large peak in March just prior to breeding. Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) levels changed in parallel with plasma androgen levels. In females, neither plasma FSH nor LH alone were correlated significantly with ovarian weight. However, ovarian and oviductal weights both correlated significantly with plasma steroid levels. Plasma estradiol levels showed a sharp peak in March, followed by a rapid decrease to the minimum in April. A gradual increase of estradiol occurred from July to November in parallel with an increase in ovarian weight. Changes in plasma progesterone and androgen levels in females resembled those for estradiol. However, the changes in progesterone were not so marked as in estradiol. Plasma androgen levels in females were especially high between January and March. In both sexes, the pituitary gonadotropin contents changed in parallel with plasma levels of both FSH and LH. The pituitary almost always contained more LH than FSH, while the reverse was true in the plasma in both sexes. In addition, plasma FSH levels increased markedly in early summer when plasma LH remained unchanged (males) or increased only slightly (females). These results indicate that the toad may serve as excellent material for the study of differential control of FSH and LH secretion.     

Sex hormones in amenorrheic women with alcoholic liver disease

Urinary excretion of estrogens and plasma concentrations of estrone, estradiol, LH, FSH, PRL, progesterone, testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin were measured in nine chronic alcoholic women with cirrhosis or alcoholic fatty liver. They were aged 24-40 yr and all had secondary amenorrhea which had lasted for at least 3 months. The response of pituitary gonadotropin secretion to administration of LHRH and estradiol benzoate and of PRL secretion to TRH were also investigated. Urinary excretion of estrogens in the alcoholic women with liver disease was similar to that in normal postmenopausal women and less than half that in normal women of the same age in the midfollicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Plasma estradiol levels in the alcoholic women were lower than in the menstruating women but higher than in the postmenopausal women, whereas their plasma estrone levels were higher than in the menstruating women. Plasma concentrations of progesterone and testosterone in the alcoholic women did not differ from those in the postmenopausal women but were lower than in the menstruating women. In spite of the relative estrogen deficiency plasma LH and FSH levels were not elevated in the alcoholic women. The responses of LH and FSH to LHRH were similar in the patients and in the menstruating women. Intramuscular administration of estradiol benzoate did not increase plasma LH and FSH concentrations in the alcoholic women. Hyperprolactinemia was not found and there were no differences in the PRL responses to TRH between the patients and the control groups. In conclusion, disturbed regulation of gonadotropin secretion is an important factor in the genesis of estrogen deficiency and amenorrhea in alcoholic women with liver disease, although ovarian function may also be directly impaired.     

Sex hormones and bone metabolism in postmenopausal rheumatoid arthritis treated with two different glucocorticoids.

To investigate the effect of low doses of 2 different glucocorticoids on bone mass, sex hormone status and bone metabolic indices, a study was undertaken in 16 postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving < 15 mg/day of deflazacort and in 16 patients with RA matched for age, years postmenopause and disease duration, receiving < 10 mg/day of prednisone. Sixteen healthy postmenopausal women and 16 nonsteroid treated patients with RA were also studied as control groups. Vertebral bone density (vBMD) was lower (mean +/- SD: 0.65 +/- 0.07 vs 0.73 +/- 0.09 g/cm2; p < 0.02) in prednisone treated patients than in deflazacort treated patients, whose vBMD values were similar to those of nonsteroid treated RA. No significant difference was found as for radial bone mineral content. Circulating levels of estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione and progesterone were low in all patient groups with RA when compared with healthy controls. The prednisone treated patients showed significantly lower values of all sex hormones with respect to deflazacort treated patients. Osteocalcin values were also lower (3.0 +/- 1.4 vs 3.9 +/- 1.6 ng/ml; p < 0.05) in prednisone treated patients with respect to deflazacort treated group. Glucocorticoid treated patients showed a direct correlation (r2 = 0.39) between vBMD and plasma estradiol levels, while no correlation was found with osteocalcin values. In conclusion, our postmenopausal patients with RA treated with low dose prednisone had reduced levels of sex hormones and osteocalcin and reduced vertebral bone mass. Comparable doses of deflazacort showed only a mild inhibitory effect on sex hormones and osteocalcin, and did not show any detectable effect on bone mass.     

砷对雌性大鼠生殖内分泌影响的研究

目的研究砷对雌性大鼠血清中雌二醇(E2)、卵泡雌激素及黄体生成素、泌乳素水平及卵巢、肾上腺病理改变的影响.方法雌性大鼠经砷染毒10周后用放射免疫法测定血清中激素水平;光镜观察子宫和肾上腺的病理改变. 结果除了LH各染毒组与对照组比较有统计学意义外(P<0.05),其余各组均无统计学意义(P>0.05);但卵巢及肾上腺有不同程度的病理改变.结论砷对雌性大鼠的内分泌激素LH是一个敏感指标,且对生殖系统有直接的损害作用.     

The development of gonadotropin and steroid hormone patterns in male and female hamsters from birth to puberty.

Male (1--60 days old) and female (1--30 days old) hamsters were decapitated and serum levels of LH, FSH, PRL, progesterone, androgens (males), and estradiol (females) were measured by RIA. Males and females had similar levels of LH until 15 days of age and of FSH until 12 days of age, at which times gonadotropin levels increased significantly in females. Peak levels for females occurred on days 19--21 for LH and on days -2--24 for FSH, later than the times reported for female rats. Adjusting female gonadotropin peaks for gestation length places these peaks for hamsters and rats at the same time in postmating age. In female hamsters, large variations occur in LH between 16--25 days of age, as reported for female rats. Males reached peak serum levels of LH and FSH on day 40, just before the first motile epididymal sperm. Serum PRL levels were identical in male and female hamsters until at least day 30. PRL levels sharply increased in both sexes after day 18 and remained elevated until at least day 30. In males, serum androgens were low until 30 days of age, in contrast to high levels reported for infantile rats. Androgens rose sharply in male hamsters after day 30 to peak levels on day 50. Progesterone in males also remained low until after day 30. Serum estradiol in females did not attain the extremely high elevations seen in rats. Some fluctuations occurred between 10--30 days of age, which presumably represent maturational changes in the ovary. Serum progesterone in females followed a pattern of development similar to estradiol.     

The effect of a null mutation in the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor gene on mouse reproduction

To investigate further brain-pituitary-gonadal interrelationships we have generated mice in which the gene encoding the FSH receptor has been disrupted. Female FSH receptor knockout (FSHRKO) mice were infertile. The ovaries were significantly reduced in size, with follicular development arrested at the preantral stage, but there was evidence of stromal hypertrophy. The vagina was imperforate, and the uterus was atrophic. There was no response to administration of PMSG. Inhibins A and B were undetectable in both the serum and gonads. Compared with those in control animals, serum concentrations of FSH and LH were significantly elevated in mutant females. The pituitary content of FSH, but not LH, was also significantly elevated. Estrogen administration in FSHRKO female mice suppressed serum LH levels to those seen in control mice, whereas FSH levels were reduced by only 50%. Male FSHRKO mice were fertile, although testis weight was significantly reduced. However, testicular inhibin A and B concentrations did not differ from those in normal littermates. Serum levels of FSH and LH were elevated in the null mutant male mice, whereas no differences were found in the pituitary content of these hormones. In conclusion, ovarian follicular development cannot progress beyond the preantral stage without FSH. In the absence of mature follicles ovarian estrogen remains low, and consequently accessory sex tissue growth and negative feedback regulation of gonadotropin secretion are severely compromised. In the male, however, inability to respond to FSH does not impair fertility, although testicular weight is reduced, and feedback regulation of pituitary gonadotropins and intratesticular paracrine interactions may be disturbed.     

Differential effects of male stimuli on follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin secretion in prepubertal female mice.

Puberty may be induced rapidly in young female mice by exposing them to adult males. The relevant male stimuli include a urinary pheromone and tactile cues, the latter acting in a potentiating capacity. The specific action of the urinary pheromone on pituitary gonadotropins was the subject of the present research. Immature females of a standard size were either paired with adult males, isolated and their bedding sprayed with male urine, or maintained as isolated controls. Exposure to male urine resulted in a rapid and significant release of LH (30 min) which was maintained at an average of 50% higher than levels in isolated controls throughout the 48 h experiment; no immediate changes were observed in either serum FSH or prolactin, but FSH was depressed and prolactin rose progressively during later sampling periods. Cohabitation with an adult male yielded parallel but decidedly stronger reponses in the concentrations of all three hormones. Exogenous estrogen, administered in a second experiment at a dosage previously found to mimic the puberty-inducing action of a male, suppressed serum FSH and LH while elevating serum prolactin. Thus, the present results suggest a) that the male's urinary stimulus exerts its action on immature females via LH release with no immediate and/or direct effects on the other two tropic hormones, and b) that the delayed alterations in serum FSH and prolactin concentrations accompanying male- and/or urine-exposure are secondary consequences of an LH-induced release of estradiol. Attempts to induce the entire pubertal cycle in intact females with subovulating doses of LH, nevertheless, were unsuccessful.     

Gonadotropin response to luteinizing hormone releasing hormone in hyperthyroid patients with menstrual disturbances

This study was designed to investigate the gonadotropin response to luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) in patients with hyperthyroidism, as related to the presence or absence of menstrual disorders. Forty-one Japanese women with hyperthyroidism were separated into groups on the basis of the presence of a regular menstrual cycle, hypomenorrhea, or amenorrhea and further subdivided into the phase of the menstrual cycle at the time of testing. The findings in these groups were compared with those in normal subjects with respect to thyroid function, basal serum LH and FSH levels and serum LH and FSH responses to LHRH, and basal estradiol levels. Serum LH responses to LHRH were increased over normal subjects in those with hyperthyroidism regardless of the phase of the menstrual cycle and regardless of the presence or absence of menstrual disturbances. However, these augmented LH responses to LHRH were less marked in those with menstrual disorders than in those with regular menstruation. Both basal serum FSH and peak serum FSH response to LHRH were also increased in the follicular phase but not in the luteal phase of the cycle in hyperthyroid patients, regardless of menstrual function. These results suggest that high levels of circulating thyroid hormones augment the gonadotropin response to LHRH, and that increased LH and FSH secretion probably maintains the normal cyclic pituitary gonadal axis function in patients with hyperthyroidism.     

Calcium-regulating hormones during the menstrual cycle.

Calcium metabolism during the menstrual cycle was studied in seven women from whom fasting blood samples were drawn daily or every other day throughout ovulatory cycles. Total calcium (Ca), ionic calcium (Ca++), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), and immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) were measured. LH levels were used to date each cycle and progesterone levels were used to confirm ovulation. Plasma estradiol was measured in two of the subjects. In six subjects with cycle lengths of 27-31 days, PTH levels rose progressively through the follicular phase to a peak at or slightly before the LH surge, then fell progressively through the luteal phase; peak PTH levels were 30-35% above early follicular and late luteal values. CT levels were also highest at midcycle, but the CT pattern was somewhat more variable than that of PTH. Ca++ tended to fall until 3-4 days before ovulation and then to increase, while Ca, Mg, and P exhibited no particular pattern. One subject experienced a prolonged (44 day) ovulatory cycle characterized by three distinct PTH peaks, each of which coincided with elevations in plasma estradiol level. These results represent the first report of menstrual cyclicity in calcium-regulating hormones. The timing suggest an estrogen effect and it is hypothesized that estrogen inhibits PTH-induced bone resorption, lowering serum Ca++, which in turn provokes a compensatory PTH output. With the decline of the preovulatory estrogen peak, Ca++ levels rise and PTH secretion falls. Alternatively, it is possible that the primary action may be an estrogen-induced rise in CT release, causing hypocalcemia and consequent PTH output. Cyclic changes in PRL release or vitamin D metabolism might also be involved.     

The impact of ovarian laser surgery on the gonadotrophin secretion in women with polycystic ovarian disease

To evaluate the effects of ovarian surgery on the deranged episodic gonadotrophin release of women with the polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), we studied 11 patients with the clinical and endocrinological features of PCOD before and after laparoscopic laser coagulations of ovarian surfaces and cysts. During both occasions, blood was collected at 15-min intervals for 8 h to determine LH and FSH secretory profiles and additionally for 3 h during GnRH injections (25 micrograms twice within 2 h) to assess pituitary responsiveness. Serum testosterone, androstendione and oestrogen (oestrone, oestradiol) levels were markedly reduced (P less than 0.05 or less) after surgery. Mean LH concentrations declined (P less than 0.001), while FSH levels increased (P less than 0.01) following laser treatments. The LH pulse frequencies (by Cluster analysis) did not change after ovarian surgery, but the LH pulse amplitudes were markedly reduced (P less than 0.01). Lower (P less than 0.05 or less) LH concentrations were attained in response to GnRH challenges, and the stimulated FSH release also tended to decrease after laser treatments. Thus, ovarian surgery in PCOD women resulted in reduced serum sex steroid concentrations and in divergent effects on serum LH and FSH levels. The attenuated pituitary LH responsiveness after ovarian surgery suggests action of sex steroids primarily at the pituitary site, while the increase in FSH concentrations may be attributed to other factors selectively modulating FSH release.     

The gonadotropin-suppressive activity of androgen is increased in elderly men

The influence of aging on the responsiveness to sex steroid hormones in men was studied by comparing circulating gonadotropin concentrations, pulsatile LH release, and sex hormone-binding globulin (TeBG) levels. This was done before and during a four-day continuous infusion of testosterone (T) (7.5 mg/d), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (7.0 mg/d), or estradiol (E2) (45 micrograms/d) in young adult men, ages 18 to 32, and healthy elderly men, ages 65 to 80. DHT reduced mean serum LH and FSH levels as well as the frequency of spontaneous LH secretory episodes to a greater extent (p less than 0.05) in old men than in young men. T administration also reduced serum LH levels more in aged than in young men (P less than 0.05); however, this difference was less pronounced than for DHT. During T infusion, the decrease in serum FSH levels was similar in the two groups. Spontaneous LH pulse amplitude also declined during both T and DHT infusion in aged, but not in young men. By contrast, infusion of E2 reduced both serum LH and FSH levels comparably in aged and young men. DHT infusion also reduced serum TeBG levels equally in old and young men. Finally, each steroid infusion produced comparable mean circulating levels of T, DHT, and E2 in both groups. These data indicate that elderly men are more responsive than are young men to the gonadotropin-suppressive effects of androgen, but not to DHT effects on circulating TeBG levels. The more pronounced deceleration of spontaneous LH secretory episodes during DHT infusion in aged men provides evidence for an alteration in hypothalamic function in male senescence.     

男性类风湿关节炎患者的血清性激素水平测定及其临床意义

采用放射免疫法检测34例男性类风湿关节炎（RA）患者（RA组）的血清雌二醇（E2），睾酮（T），硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAS）水平，并与30例健康男性（对照组）作对照。结果发现患者血清T，DHEAS水平明显低于正常对照组（P＜0．05，P＜0．001），而E2水平虽低于对照组，但无显著差异（P＞0．05），提示雄激素减低在男性RA的发病中起一定的作用。     

Serum hormones in human breast cancer subjects

Different serum hormones were studied in patients with benign breast diseases and breast carcinoma in respect of different phases of the menstrual cycle, as well as in postmenopausal women. In premenopausal breast carcinoma subjects 10% showed elevated serum estradiol alone, 7% showed elevated serum prolactin alone, and 12% subjects exhibited elevated levels of both serum estradiol and prolactin. Similarly, in postmenopausal breast carcinoma subjects 12% showed elevated serum estradiol alone, 10% showed elevated serum prolactin alone, and 22% exhibited elevated level of both serum estradiol and prolactin. On the other hand, in patients with benign breast disease only 5 showed an elevated level of prolactin alone. More than 50% of premenopausal women with carcinoma of the breast had low level of serum progesterone during the luteal phase as compared to normal subjects. No variations in serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were evident between normal subjects and women with breast carcinoma or benign breast disease. The increased level of serum estradiol and prolactin may be useful in the diagnosis of human breast cancer.