Excretion of steroid hormones in adults steroids in urine from adults

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been used to study the excretion pattern of neutral steroids in urine from adult female and male subjects. The compounds were isolated as free steroids, steroid "glucuronides", monosulphates and disulphates. The major part, 72% (female) and 76% (male) of the steroids isolated occurred as "glucuronides", whereas the free, monosulphate and disulphate fractions contained 19% (female) and 12% (male), 6% (female) and 9% (male), 3% (female) and 3 % (male) of the steroids isolated, respectively. The free steroid fractions contained 10 steroids, and the glucuronide, monosulphate and disulphate fractions 17, 18 and 7 steroids, respectively. Of the total steroids identified 23 were C₁₉ steroids and 13 were C₂₁ steroids. 9 steroids were found only in urine from female subjects and 3 only in urine from male subjects. The following 11 compounds have not previously been found in urine from normal, non-pregnant adult subjects: 5-androstene-3α,17α-diol, 3α-hydroxy-5β, 17α (and 17β)-pregnan-20-one, 3α(and 3β), 18-dihydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one, 5α-androstane-3α, 15α,17β-triol, 5α(and 5β)-pregnane-3α,16α,20α-triol, 5-pregnene-3α, 16α, 20α-triol, 5α-pregnane-3β, 11β,17α,20β-tetrol and 3α, 16β-dihydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one. The results are discussed in relation to present knowledge of excretion of steroids in humans.