The correlation of vaginal cytology with urinary oestriol and pregnanediol in third trimester of normal and abnormal pregnancies
Aikat, M.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 63(12): 1694-1704
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 1225830 Document Number: 87794
Pregnant women (153) consisting of 48 normal and 105 having complications of pregnancy such as toxemia, hypertension of early pregnancy, severe anemia, diabetes, antepartum hemorrhage, placental insufficiency and intrauterine death were studied with estriol and pregnanediol excretion and simultaneous hormonal vaginal cytology. In normal pregnancy the study showed a gradual increase in estriol and pregnanediol excretion with progress of gestation and also a good correlation between the vaginal smear pattern and the estriol/pregnanediol ratio. The excretion of these hormones is low in toxemia, hypertension of early pregnancy, antepartum hemorrhage, placental insufficiency and intrauterine death. It follows a normal pattern in severe anemia and is more than normal in diabetes. Progressively decreasing estriol excretion is highly significant and has great prognostic value. Estriol excretion less than 3 mg/24 h indicates fetal death. If it is less than 9 mg/24 h then daily estimation is essential. If it increases, no intervention is required, but if it decreases further, it should be taken as a danger signal requiring immediate intervention. Prognostically, estriol excretion is a better parameter than pregnanediol excretion. In various complications of pregnancy the vaginal cytology is of little value and has no correlation with estriol and pregnanediol excretion.