Faculty Bibliography

Relaxin is a peptide hormone produced by the corpus luteum during pregnancy in human beings. There are no extraluteal sites of production of relaxin in women. By means of a heterologous porcine radioimmunoassay, serial serum relaxin concentrations were determined in three women throughout pregnancy and into labor. All three demonstrated a first-trimester elevation followed by a second-trimester decline; values then remained stable throughout the second and third trimesters and into labor. This further confirms the functional activity of the corpus luteum throughout pregnancy and the value of relaxin as an index of luteal function during gestation

Secondary hypergonadotropic, hypoestrogenic amenorrhea, or premature menopause, is usually considered an irreversible process. Four patients with this entity were observed to have evidence of ovulation. Three of these patients became pregnant while they were treated with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) for their hypoestrogenic symptoms. Estrogen replacement may be effective in reversal of this process