Alpha fetoprotein in pregnant women and in products of conception
Rawal, A.; Kotwani, B.G.; Saha, K.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 72: 374-380
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 6161893 Document Number: 158347
.alpha.-Fetoprotein (AFP) estimation was done in maternal serum and amniotic fluid from 102 Indian women with normal and abnormal pregnancy and also in placenta, fetal liver and sera from the umbilical cord and neonates by radioimmunoassay. Sera from 10 nonpregnant women and 6 patients with carcinoma of the cervix were used as controls. During normal pregnancy, AFP levels in maternal serum increased from 10 ng/ml at 6 wk to 360 ng/ml at 32 wk and fell to 144 ng/ml at 40 wk. AFP levels further fell steeply to 45 ng/ml on the 4th postpartum day, and by the 9th day it was not detectable; its half-life was 3.6 days. In the amniotic fluid, AFP levels were maximum at 14 wk, 25.5 .mu.g/ml, fell to 4.0 .mu.g/ml at 20 wk and 350 ng/ml at 40 wk. In the neonatal period, cord serum had its highest value of 69.5 .mu.g/ml, which fell rapidly to 4.37 .mu.g/ml on the 10th day of life. Its half-life was 3.42 days. In the fetal liver, the highest values were recorded at the 12th wk of gestation. Term placenta did not have any detectable AFP, but had considerable AFP in the early period of gestation. Significant variation of AFP levels were found in pregnancy with congenital anomalies of the fetus, cases of threatened abortion who eventually aborted, patients undergoing induced abortion, cases of missed abortion, intrauterine death of fetus, pregnancy with diabetes mellitus and severe rhesus isoimmunization.