Effect of short-duration progesterone treatment on decidual prolactin production by cultures of proliferative human endometrium.

The effect of short-term progesterone (P) treatment in vitro on decidual prolactin (dPRL) production by human endometrium was investigated. Cultures prepared from proliferative endometrium received medium containing P for 3 hours, 1 day, or 3 days. The culture medium was then changed daily for 7 to 14 days, and the amounts of dPRL in the spent medium were measured by radioimmunoassay. The results of these experiments indicated that even a short exposure to elevated concentrations of P is adequate to stimulate dPRL production and that the resulting pattern of dPRL production is determined by the duration of the P treatment.