Barton, M., & Wiesner, B. P. (1945). Thermogenic effect of progesterone. Lancet (London, England), 2(6380), 671. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(45)91388-2
Barton M, Wiesner BP. Thermogenic effect of progesterone. Lancet. 1945;2(6380):671. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(45)91388-2
Barton, M., and B. P. Wiesner. "Thermogenic effect of progesterone." Lancet (London, England), vol. 2, no. 6380, 1945, pp. 671.
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RRM Academy Synopsis
Progesterone Seems to Cause the Post-Ovulation Temperature Rise
In 1945, doctors tested hormones on volunteers and on women being treated for infertility. Progesterone raised body temperature, but estrogen did not. The rise came on fast and faded once treatment stopped.
Key Findings
Extracts of whole ovary or follicular fluid, free of estrogen and progesterone, did not raise waking temperature.
Injected estrogen did not produce the temperature rise seen after ovulation and may sometimes have lowered waking temperature slightly instead.
Progesterone given as an oil solution caused a small, short-lived temperature rise that did not reach the level normally seen after ovulation.
Progesterone given as an injectable suspension raised waking temperature within about a day. Repeated injections could trigger a full temperature-rise phase followed by menstrual bleeding.
An oral progesterone-like compound produced a slight, short-lived temperature rise in some women. The rise was not sustained.
Interpretation
This preliminary communication describes a small, uncontrolled experiment. The authors did not run a randomized trial, testing several hormone preparations on a mix of volunteers and women being treated for absent periods or infertility. No fixed sample size was reported, and no statistical testing was used. The findings point to progesterone as the hormone behind the temperature rise tied to ovulation. Estrogen did not produce that effect. Response varied between women, and in some, progesterone did not reliably raise temperature as expected. The authors said a fuller report would follow later.
RRM Context
This 1945 paper is one of the earliest experiments linking the temperature shift after ovulation to progesterone. Estrogen did not produce it. The finding is the basis for basal body temperature charting. Fertility charting methods use this idea today, and so does NaProTechnology. A sustained rise in temperature is read as a sign that progesterone, and ovulation, has occurred.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
