Luteal function in the ferret has been assessed on the basis of plasma progesterone levels. During anestrus, the plasma progesterone level was 3.1 ±0.42 ng/ml. The plasma progesterone level in ferrets on day 30 of pregnancy was 8.4 ±2.6 ng/ml as compared to 8.9 ±2.2 ng/ml in animals on day 30 of pseudopregnancy. These levels reflect the similarity in the amounts of lutein tissue observed in the 2 groups of animals.animals. In contrast, ferrets treated with human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) had plasma progesterone levels of 21.0 ±4.0 and 19.5 ±4.2 ng/ml plasma on days 5 and 30 after treatment. These elevated levels were felt to be representative of the greater number of corpora lutea in the ovaries of the HCG-treated ferrets. (Endocrinology85: 623, 1969)
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Carlson et al. (1969) studied this question.