The survival of many critical endangered mammal species is often depending on successful captive breeding programmes which include the future option of reintroduction to the wild. Breeding in captivity also demands the application of modern assisted reproductive techniques to ensure maximal biodiversity, but knowledge on reproductive physiology is often limited. Therefore, non-invasive monitoring of urinary and faecal hormones has become an important tool for reproductive management. To exemplify the importance of non-invasive hormone monitoring, we choose the Eurasian lynx as a model for the world's most endangered felid species, the Iberian lynx. We analysed faecal samples of pregnant and pseudo-pregnant female Eurasian lynxes during a 3-year study period. Compared to pre-mating levels faecal progesterone metabolite profiles revealed a tendency towards higher levels in pregnant and pseudo-pregnant females with no difference between both categories. Oestrogen levels raised in both pregnant and pseudo-pregnant females with a tendency to be more elevated and prolonged in pregnant females. Surprisingly both E2 and P4 metabolites were highly correlated (r(2) =0.8131, p < 0.0001) showing a postpartum increase both in pregnant and pseudo-pregnant females. The results from the Eurasian lynx revealed that the measurement of faecal progesterone metabolites led to profiles dissimilar to profiles shown in other felid species, but similar to those from faecal gestagen metabolite analysis in the Iberian lynx. To identify faecal gestagen and oestrogen metabolites a radio-metabolism study was performed. Using the progesterone immunoassay two major progesterone metabolites were detected demonstrating that the assay indeed tracks the relevant metabolites. The oestrogen assay measured authentic 17beta-oestradiol and oestrone, and their conjugates. The analysis of the faecal metabolite composition in samples from early and late pregnancy and lactation particularly revealed a distinct shift in the relation between 17beta-oestradiol and oestrone that changed in favour of oestrone. This might indicate different hormone sources during and after pregnancy (corpus luteum, placenta). We hypothesize, that placental steroid analysis in combination with other highly sophisticated analytical techniques, like liquid chromatography mass spectrometry or urinary relaxin analysis may led to analytical options to confirm pregnancy and to differentiate this from pseudo-pregnancy in lynx species.

PurposeA reliable definition of exposure and knowledge about long-term medication patterns is important for drug safety studies during pregnancy. Few studies have investigated these measures for thyroid hormone replacement therapy (THRT). The purpose of this study was to 1) calculate the agreement between self-report and dispensed prescriptions of THRT and 2) classify women with similar adherence patterns to THRT into disjoint longitudinal trajectories.MethodsOur analysis used data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a prospective population-based cohort study. MoBa was linked to prescription records from the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD). We estimated Cohen’s kappa coefficients (k) and approximate 95% CIs for agreement between self-report and prescription records for the 6-month period prior to pregnancy and for each pregnancy trimester. Using group-based trajectory models (GBTMs), we estimated adherence trajectories among women who self-reported and had a THRT prescription.ResultsThere were 56,148 women in MoBa, who had both a record in NorPD and available prescription history up to 1 year prior to pregnancy. Of these, 1,171 (2.1%) self-reported and received a prescription for THRT. Agreement was “perfect” in the 6-month period prior to pregnancy (k=0.86; CI 0.85–0.88), in the first (k=0.83; CI 0.82–0.85) and in the second trimesters (k=0.89; CI 0.87–0.90), while this was moderate (k=0.57; CI 0.54–0.59) in the third trimester. Among the subset of the 1,171 women, we identified four disjoint GBTM adherence groups: Constant-High (50.2%), Constant-Medium (32.9%), Increasing-Medium (11.0%), and Decreasing-Low (5.8%).ConclusionAgreement between self-report and prescription records was high for THRT in the early pregnancy period. Based on our GBTM results, about one in two women with hypothyroidism had adequate adherence to prescribed THRT throughout pregnancy. Given the potential consequences, evidence of low adherence in 5.8% of pregnant women with hypothyroidism is of concern.

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