DIURNAL-VARIATIONS IN MATERNAL AND FETAL STEROIDS IN PREGNANT RHESUS-MONKEYS

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  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 106  (4) , 1283-1288
Abstract
To examine diurnal changes in maternal and fetal steroids in chronically catheterized pregnant rhesus monkeys, cortisol (F), progesterone (P4), estrone and estradiol were measured in maternal blood and F, P4 and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAS) in simultaneous samples of fetal blood taken in the morning (0700-1000 h) and in the evening (1700-2100 h). In the mother, the concentrations of F, estradiol and estrone were higher in the morning than in the evening. P4 was higher in evening than in morning samples. In fetal blood, there was no significant morning-evening difference for F; the P4 and DHAS concentrations were higher in the evening than in the morning samples. In 3 individual monkeys, the P4 and DHAS concentrations in serial samples of fetal blood were correlated. Apparently there are marked diurnal changes in the concentration of several steroids in samples of maternal and fetal blood. The F concentration in maternal blood shows the opposite pattern to that of possible fetal adrenal steroids in fetal blood.