Urinary 2/16 estrogen metabolite ratio levels in healthy women: a review of the literature.

This is a summary of the published literature on the urinary 2/16 estrogen metabolite ratio in human populations, and a report the observed range of normal values in healthy women. Original research studies that included the measurement of urinary estrogen metabolites in human subjects were identified through an extensive Medline search; 43 distinct studies were identified, including a total of 6802 healthy women. The range of mean values of the 2/16 ratio measured with the ELISA method varied from 0.98 to 1.74; in studies of pre-menopausal women the range of mean values was 1.5-2.74, in studies of post-menopausal women mean values ranged from 1.15 to 2.25. The heterogeneity across studies was highly significant (p-value Q-test: <0.0001). In multivariable analyses, only race confirmed its role as an independent predictor of 2/16 ratio (F-value: 7.95; p-value: 0.009), after adjustment for age and menopausal status. There appears to be a large body of data on the 2/16 urinary ratio in healthy women. However, summary estimates are difficult to perform due to the high variability of the published study-specific values. The data suggests that race may be a contributor to 2/16 urinary ratio levels.