OBSERVATIONS ON THE ENDOMETRIUM AND OVARY IN THE NEWBORN

[摘要] Post-mortem examination of endometria of 169 newborn infants reveals that 68 per cent are in an indifferent or proliferative phase, 27 per cent show secretory activity, and 5 per cent show progestational changes including decidual transformation of the stroma and changes analogous to those seen in adult menstruation.Examination of the ovaries in 115 of these cases shows gonadotropic changes in 38 per cent. Examination of the 42 adequately sectioned ovaries from this group plus 31 from cases in which the endometrium was not available shows gonadotropic activity in 90 per cent. The observation of atretic follicles indicates that cellular response to gonadotropic stimuli is present and occasionally completed in utero.It is concluded that the endometrial and ovarian changes are unrelated and that each is secondary to a different endocrine stimulus.Evidence is adduced to indicate that progesterone is capable of traversing the "Arthus' phenomenon" thereby producing a were infective hyperplasia of the spleen, placental membrane and producing the decidual transformation of the endometrial stroma.

[学科分类] 儿科学