The Ovarian Response in Women to Large Single Injections of Human Menopausal Gonadotrophin and Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin

Summary. A large single dose (3000 i.u.) of human menopausal gonadotrophin (hmg) was injected subcutaneously into each of twelve women. Seven days later, 19,500 i.u. human chorionic gonadotrophin was injected intramuscularly and laparotomy was performed 48 to 96 hr later. The response of the ovaries was determined by assaying urinary oestrogen and pregnanediol, by inspecting the ovaries, and by examining histological sections from multiple ovarian biopsies. Eight of nine women, who were currently having normal menstrual cycles, showed evidence of ovulation, the number of corpora lutea varying from one to seven. In three women, who received injections of hmg on the 14th day of a normal puerperium, there was no evidence of ovulation or of a significant increase in steroidogenesis.