A practical approach for monitoring urinary estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH) in various primate species is described. Total immunoreactive estrogen (E() levels, measured without chromatography, provided a convenient estimation of estrone, estradiol and estriol as the sum of their separated parts. Bioactive LH in urine was measured by the rat interstitial cell testosterone (RICT) in vitro bioassay. Correction for urinary creatinine content allowed for the comparison of hormone production from small volumes of urine collected from single daily voidings. Using these methods, urinary Et and LH profiles through the reproductive cycles of a human, gorilla, chimpanzee and capuchin monkey have been determined.

Reproductive patterns of wild cotton‐top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) females located in La Reserva Forestal Protectora Serranía de Coraza‐Montes de María in Colosó, Colombia, were examined using long‐term behavioral observations and fecal steroid analysis. Using an enzyme immunoassay, we analyzed fecal samples for E1C and PdG. Comparisons of reproductive cycles of a reproductively active female and her daughters were made. An inhibition of ovarian cycles has been observed in daughters living in their families. However, daughters also exhibited normal ovarian cycling that subsequently resulted in pregnancy. Factors influencing the fertility are discussed as they relate to the reproductive strategies of wild cotton‐top tamarin females. Am. J. Primatol. 43:329–337, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Immunoreactive estrogen and luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) bioactivity have been measured throughout pregnancy in diverse primate species with a simple methodological approach utilizing small volumes of urine collected randomly. Total immunoreactive estrogen levels and the relative abundance of component estrogens (estrone, estradiol and estriol) at various stages of gestation were compared in the human, orangutan, pygmy chimpanzee, Doue langur and capuchin. Measurement of urinary LH/CG bioactivity enables an earlier detection of pregnancy when compared to the nonhuman primate pregnancy test. The methods described provide a practical and non-stressful way to detect and monitor pregnancy in widely divergent primate species.

Investigations were undertaken to determine the applicability of recently reported specific radioimmunoassays for urinary estrone conjugates and progesterone metabolites for monitoring ovarian function in the cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fasciularis) and other macaque species. Mean estrone conjugate measurements appear to accurately reflect the preovulatory estrogen peak in both conceptive (n = 5) and nonconceptive (n = 6) cycles, as well as to indicate early pregnancy through increases which are significantly elevated by Day + 15 (p < 0.049) post estrone conjugates peak. The mean luteal phase levels of these progesterone metabolites are significantly elevated by Day + 14 (p < 0.012) in conceptive cycles when compared to the mean values for nonconceptive cycles.