Gynaecological diagnosis by ultrasound and the measurement of urinary sex steroid hormones in female orangutans

Abstract

Gynaecological diagnoses were carried in three adult female orangutans (Pongo spp.) using ultrasound, and their estrous states were estimated by measuring urinary sex steroid hormone concentrations using enzyme immunoassay. Ultrasound diagnosis revealed that the endometrial thickness and follicle size were correlated with the oestrogen-3-glucuronide concentrations in the follicular phase. In addition, administration of the ovulation inducer human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) had the strongest effect on the pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG) concentration when the follicle size was 22.3 mm, suggesting that the follicle reaches this size before ovulation. The similarity between this and the maximum ovarian follicle size in humans (approximately 20 mm) indicates that the ancestral reproductive characteristics may have been retained in these species.