[Urinary excretion of estrogen fractions, alpha and beta pregnanediol and pregnanetriol in women with epileptic seizures during the premenstrual period].

The authors determined the amounts of oestrone, oestradiol, oestriol, alpha and beta pregnanediol, and pregnanetriol in 24-hour urine of 11 women with epileptic seizures occurring two and one day before the onset of menstruation, and in 7 women with seizures not dependent on the menstrual cycle. Determinations of these hormons were done during three successive menstrual cycles on the 2nd and 1st day before the onset of bleeding. In both groups a significant decrease was observed in the urinary levels of oestradiol and oestriol as compared with normal values. On the other hand, the amount of excreted oestrone was only slightly lowered in relation to the amount of this hormone excreted by controls. A significant decrease in the amounts of alpha pregnanediol (the difference being statistically significant at p less than 0.01 level) was observed two days before menstruation. On the other hand, pregnanetriol was decreased only in women in whom the seizures showed no temporal correlation with the stage of the menstrual cycle. The authors suggest that the observed reduction in the metabolites of progesterone in both groups was associated with an increased seizure readiness of the brain on the days preceding menstrual bleeding.