Failure of indomethacin to block the estrogen-induced luteinizing hormone surge in the ovariectomized rhesus monkey.

Prostaglandins have been shown to be stimulatory to LH release in several species, although it is not known, in the primate, whether this effect is mediated through the hypothalamic-pituitary axis or by an indirect effect mediated through the ovary. In the present experiments, indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, did not significantly alter basal LH levels or the positive and negative feedback effects of estrogen on LH release in the ovariectomized rhesus monkey. Therefore, it appears that the previously demonstrated effect of indomethacin on LH release in the intact monkey was mediated through ovarian mechanisms.