URINARY GONADOTROPHINS IN NORMAL MEN

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gonadotrophins extracted by the kaolin-acetone method from the urine of 11 men were assayed as FSH and as total gonadotrophin. The results were similar whether the extracts were assayed against HMG20A (Organon) or a sub-standard. Dependence of variance on response in both assays was corrected by a logarithmic transformation of response data. The assays were precise and some characteristics are given. The urinary gonadotrophins ranged from 2.6 to 33 mg equivalents of HMG20A per day, and were similar when measured by either assay. There was greater variation between subjects than between repeated estimates over long periods in the same subjects. No qualitative nor quantitative changes due to diurnal variation nor sexual activity were detected. Day-to-day variation was studied in one subject. No evidence was obtained that the ratio of FSH to ICSH differed in any of the extracts obtained from normal men, nor that these differed qualitatively from HMG20A. This contrasts with previous findings in normal women.