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Published on: October 11, 2013
A direct radioimmunoassay for free progesterone in saliva
V Vienravi1, K Amatayakul, T Kanluan
1Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Insights
Measuring salivary progesterone using a new radioimmunoassay offers a non-invasive, accurate alternative to blood tests for assessing ovarian function and ovulation. This method simplifies sample collection and provides reliable data for monitoring the menstrual cycle.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Accurate monitoring of progesterone levels is crucial for assessing reproductive health.
- Current methods for progesterone assessment can be invasive or less precise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a direct radioimmunoassay for salivary progesterone.
- To evaluate salivary progesterone as a non-invasive biomarker for menstrual cycle and ovarian function.
Main Methods:
- Development of a direct radioimmunoassay using iodinated tracer (125I-HIS-3CMO).
- Analysis of salivary progesterone in healthy volunteers with regular menstrual cycles.
- Correlation analysis with free serum progesterone levels.
Main Results:
- The radioimmunoassay provides reliable determination of salivary progesterone.
- Salivary progesterone shows no significant diurnal variation, allowing flexible sample collection.
- Salivary progesterone levels correlate significantly with free serum progesterone.
- Salivary progesterone ranges are comparable to those in existing literature.
Conclusions:
- Salivary progesterone measurement is a viable, non-invasive alternative to serum or plasma analysis.
- It offers a more accurate and stress-free method for predicting ovulation and assessing corpus luteum function.
- Daily salivary progesterone monitoring is advantageous for serial assessment of ovarian function.
Abstract:
The direct radioimmunoassay using iodinated tracer (125I-HIS-3CMO) has been developed for the determination of salivary progesterone of healthy volunteers with regular menstrual cycles. Lack of significant diurnal variation either in the follicular or luteal phase indicated that collections of saliva could be tailored to the need of individuals making the study somewhat easier. Salivary progesterone has shown to correlate significantly with free serum progesterone reflecting the unbound biologically active progesterone fraction in blood. Moreover, salivary progesterone concentration ranges are similar to those found in other studies. Our findings indicated that determination of progesterone in saliva could be used in place of serum or plasma. Since firstly, it is non-invasive, easy for sample collection and a stress-free technique. Secondly, it is much more accurate in prediction of corpus luteum function and ovulation than the basal-body temperature or endometrial biopsy or other clinical predictors currently in use. Finally, determination of daily salivary progesterone levels throughout the menstrual cycle may be advantageously employed as a non-invasive serial sampling technique for the assessment of corpus luteum and ovarian functions.
