Clinical Reproductive Endocrinology

The main emphasis of the chapter is on the determination of hormones and the use of the data as diagnostic aids.

Abstract

Clinical reproductive endocrinology includes the study of diseases of the endocrine glands involved in reproduction and their secretory products—the reproductive hormones. To obtain a satisfactory understanding of the complex endocrinological events that occur during normal and abnormal reproductive function, quantification of specific hormones is necessary. Initially, biological assay systems that measured the effect of a hormone on its target tissue were used; weight-gain change was mainly used as the measure of hormone concentration. These assays were relatively imprecise, time consuming, and expensive. Later they were replaced by chemical determinations for steroid hormones. These assay systems usually required large volumes (often 1 liter) of plasma or serum, which made serial blood sampling of individual animals impossible. Some steroid hormone patterns were studied via urine analysis in 24-hour urine aliquot. Collection of such urine aliquots from domestic species was difficult and not practical under field conditions. The main emphasis of the chapter is on the determination of hormones and the use of the data as diagnostic aids.