Ovulation stigma and concentration of progesterone and estradiol in peritoneal fluid: relation with fertility and endometriosis

The relationship between the presence or absence of an ovulation stigma and (1) the fertility status, (2) the incidence of endometriosis, (3) the concentration of progesterone and estradiol in the peritoneal fluid, and (4) the blood levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, and estradiol in 21 fertile and 45 infertile patients who underwent a laparoscopy in the early (n = 48) or late luteal phase (n = 18) was investigated. An ovulation stigma was observed in about half of the patients, irrespective of their fertility status (past and subsequent), the presence of endometriosis, or the time of the luteal phase. Progesterone and estradiol concentrations in the peritoneal fluid were highest in the early luteal phase, but they were not correlated with the presence or absence of an ovulation stigma. No significant differences were observed in peripheral hormone levels between women with and those without an ovulation stigma nor between women with high or low concentrations of progesterone in the peritoneal fluid. From the data, it is concluded that hormone assays are of no aid in the diagnosis of the luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome and that the absence of an ovulation stigma on laparoscopic examination cannot be equated with the luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome.