The Department of Biological Anthropology has for many years been involved in a project in a Tea Plantation in Bangladesh monitoring the fertility of Post-gravid women, in relation to nutritional status. Many of the women have been participating over several pregnancies.

The participating women collect an alternate day urine sample, noting the return of menses and then continuing for 3 more complete cycles. The strips are dried and returned to England for analysis to detect the onset of ovulation.

The hormone assay kits from Immunometrics have been used for a considerable time to assay Urinary Pregnanediol and Estrone Glucuronide, and this provides a convenient and accurate method of analysis, especially as a proportion of the work is done by Post-Graduate students who are not necessarily laboratory orientated persons.

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Head of Department: Professor Nicholas Mascie-Taylor