Excretion of Steroid Hormones in Adults: Steroids in Urine from a Pregnant Woman

The steroids in urine from a pregnant woman have been studied by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The major part, 64%, of the steroids identified occurred in the glucuronide fraction, whereas the free, monosulphate and disulphate fractions contained 24%, 5% and 7%, respectively. The compounds had the following general structures: 3‐hydroxy‐17β‐pregnan‐20‐one, 3α‐hydroxy‐5β,17α‐pregnan‐20‐one, 3α‐hydroxy‐5α‐androstan‐17‐one, pregnane‐3,20‐diol, 3α,21‐dihydroxy‐5β‐pregnan‐20‐one, 3α,16α‐dihydroxy‐5β‐pregnan‐20‐one, 3,15β‐dihydroxy‐pregnan‐20‐one, pregnane‐3,16α,20‐triol, 5β‐pregnane‐3α,17α,20α‐triol, 3β,16α‐dihydroxy‐5‐androsten‐17‐one, 5‐pregnene‐3β,20α‐diol, 5α‐pregnane‐3,20α,21‐triol, 5‐androstene‐3β,16,17‐triol, oestriol, 15‐hydroxyoestriol and pregnane‐3,16,20,21‐tetrol. In the free and glucuronide fractions the C₂₁O₂ steroids mainly had a 5β configuration whereas about 90% of the mono‐ and disulphurylated C₂₁O₂ steroids had a 5α structure. The results are discussed in relation to what is known about faecal excretion of steroids during pregnancy.