Secretory phase

This drug can be used as a carboxylic acid ester, in particular, as an acetate. It causes the mucous membranes of the uterus to move into the secretory phase, which facilitates development of impregnated oocytes. It reduces the excitability and contractility of uterine musculature. It is used for amenorrhea, uterine bleeding, infertility, miscarriage, myoma, mastopathy, endometrial cancer, and other pathologies. Synonyms of this drug are conce-plan, norfor, brevinor, and many others. 

Kozwolski, P.A., M.R. Neutra, T.P. Flanigan, and S. Cu-Uvin. 2000. Induction of antibodies in women after vaginal immunization during the mid-proliferative or mid-secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. FASEB J 14 A1248. 

After ovulation, progesterone levels rise, the endometrium thickens and becomes more vascular. This is known as the secretory phase and normally... 

Q7 Combined oral contraceptives contain synthetic oestrogens and progestogens which inhibit FSH and LH release. These compounds inhibit both ovulation and the secretory phase of endometrial growth. Since they are inhibitors of ovulation, they are able to diminish the symptoms of dysmenorrhoea and premenstrual syndrome, which both appear to be related to the menstrual cycles in which ovulation occurs. 

The first phase of the menstrual cycle in the uterus is the proliferative phase, which is followed by the secretory phase, and then by menstruation. Cyclic changes in hormonal levels control and orchestrate the events of the menstrual cycle. 

In the luteal (or secretory) phase of the cycle, elevated progesterone limits the proliferative effect of estrogens on the endometrium by stimulating differentiation. Progesterone is thus important in preparation for implantation and for the decidual reaction that takes place in the uterus at the implantation site. There is a narrow window of implantation, spanning days 19—24 of the cycle, when the epithelial cells of the endometrium are receptive to blastocyst implantation. 

Fig. 3.9a,b. MRI of a healthy woman during secretory phase. The T2-weighed TSE image (a) as well as the contrast-enhanced Tl-weighted TSE image (b), both in sagittal orientation demonstrate a blood clot (arrow) in the uterine cavity... 

Fig. 3.10a,b. MRI of a healthy woman during secretory phase (T2-weighted TSE)... 

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