Simultaneous determination of urinary estriol, pregnanediol, and pregnanolone by gas-liquid chromatography.

A simplified method for following the urinary excretion of estriol, pregnanediol, and pregnanoloneduring the course of pregnancy is presented. The procedure has been used successfully in a large hospital laboratory. An important advantage is that the estrogen and progesterone metabolites are measured simultaneously, and separate extraction and gas-liquid chromatographyis not required. The urine specimen is hydrolyzed enzymatically, extracted, and the steroids are converted to trimethylsilyl ethers. Temperature-programmed gas-liquid chromatography is carried out on a 2% neopentyl glycol succinate column using a hydrogen flame ionization detector.