UNCONJUGATED ESTRIOL AND CORTISOL IN MATERNAL AND CORD SERUM AND AMNIOTIC-FLUID IN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL PREGNANCY

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 52  (3) , 264-271
Abstract
Study was made of unconjugated estriol (E) by radioimmunoassay and cortisol (C) by competitive protein-binding assay in the maternal serum (Mat), mixed cord blood (Cord) and amniotic fluid (AF) from 50 pregnancies, 37 or more wk gestation (30 normal women, 9 insulin-dependent diabetics; 8 with chronic stress: preeclampsia, eclampsia; 3 sets of uncomplicated twins). The normal patients'' results were suggestive that Cord E and C were derived from a common precursor or fetal organ activity (r [correlation coeficient] = 0.382, P < 0.05) and that Mat E, which correlated with Cord E (r = 0.432, P < 0.05), reflected fetoplacental metabolism. Within 1 h of delivery, Mat E dropped to < 2.0 ng/ml. Insulin-dependent diabetics had values similar to those in the normal population. In chronically stressed patients, the results suggest that stress causes fetal C production to increase relative to E. The Mat E (mean value, 6.18 .+-. 1.23 ng/ml) was significantly less than normal (P < 0.01), while the Cord C (mean value, 35.4 .+-. 4.5 .mu.g/dl) was greater than in the normal baby (P < 0.01). Twin pregnancies demonstrated elevated Mat E, but individual Cord E approximated the normal singleton. Paired sample mean ratios of E and C in the various compartments were utilized to differentiate groups of patients. The Mat E/AF E and Mat C/AF E gave meaningful differences that could be clinically useful because of the availability of sampling. The biosynthetic pathways of E and C, the metabolic and compartmental interrelationships and the control mechanisms are discussed and related to the data.

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