[Dynamics of the urinary excretion of estrogens, pregnanediol, 17-ketosteroid fractions, cortisol and its metabolites in healthy women in the course of the menstrual cycle].

The 24-hour urinary estrogen excretion was studied in 12 women of reproductive age at periods corresponding to the middle and the end of the follicular phase, the middle and the end of the lutein phase of the menstrual cycle; pregnandiol excretion was determined at the same periods in 20 women, the urinary sum total and individual 17-KS content--in 26 women, free cortizol and its metabolites--in 19 women. The 24-hour estrogen excretion reached the maximum on the days corresponding to the ovulation peak (the 14th-15th days), and remained at a sufficiently high level in the middle of the lutein phase. Pregnandiol excretion increased by the end of the folliculin phase and reached the maximum during the lutein phase. During the mentioned most active periods of the menstrual cycle there was also noted a significant elevation of androstendione, androsterone, ethiocholanolone and free hydrocortizone excretion. The absolute amount and relative content of dehydroepiandrosterone in the sum total fractions of the urinary 17-ketosteroids proved to diminish. Cortizol metabolite excretion decreased as well. A regular direction of the changes occurring in the 24-hour excretion of individual 17-KS fractions, cortizol and its metabolites in the course of the menstrual cycle was apparently associated with the synthesis and transformation of sex hormones.