Amniotic fluid hormone profiles during normal and abnormal pregnancy
Sarandakou, A.; Kassanos, D.; Phocas, I.; Kontoravdis, A.; Chryssicopoulos, A.; Zourlas, P.A.
Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology 19(3): 180-188
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0390-6663 PMID: 1280539 Document Number: 392132
Amniotic fluid (AF) and maternal serum (MS) chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), placental lactogen (HPL), pregnancy-specific beta-1-glycoprotein (SP-1), total estrogens (ET), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and prolactin (PRL) were measured by enzyme-immunoassays, in 50 normal (A) and in 37 abnormal (B) pregnancies, from 16th to 40th weeks. A: the proteins HCG, AFP and PRL showed a similar decreasing trend after the 20th weeks, while HPL and SP-1 rose progressively throughout the 2nd trimester, thereafter remaining constant. On the contrary ET showed an increasing pattern until term. Chorionic gonadotropin HPL and SP-1 in MS were higher than in AF, while AF values of AFP and PRL were higher than in MS, but the ratio MS/AF of all hormone values increased significantly from the 2nd to the 3rd trimester (p lt 0.005-p lt 0.000001). Estrogens had about the same concentration in AF and MS during the 2nd trimester, but at term of pregnancy, their AF values were double those of MS. B: in polyhydramnios, elevated AF placental hormones were found, while PRL was very low. In erythroblastosis and diabetes, AFP was very low, but placental hormones PRL and ET were both high and low. In toxemia, SP-1, hCG and PRL were elevated, while HPL and ET were very low. In anencephaly and hydrocephaly with spina bifida, AFP was markedly elevated and ET were very low, but in simple hydrocephalous, very low AFP was found. In chromosomal anomalies very high placental hormones and very low AFP and ET were found. In conclusion, a) with advancing gestation the MS/AF ratio of protein hormones increases, while that of estrogens is reduced, b) the AF hormone reference values could be useful to identify normal and/or abnormal pregnancy.