Reproductive tract actions of relaxin in models of human pregnancy.

Elucidating the role(s) of relaxin in women has been greatly hampered by its species specificity. Suitable experimental models of relaxin action in women are limited. We established a non-human primate model of early human pregnancy to study the effects of relaxin in vivo and used three well characterized in vitro models of human endometrial function for study of mechanisms involved. Results from these studies clearly demonstrate that relaxin is an import ant factor in human endometrium which causes accommodation to and maintenance of early pregnancy and uses multiple physiological and biochemical mediators.