THYROXINE-BINDING BY SERUM PROTEIN IN PREGNANCY AND IN THE NEWBORN

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Abstract
The thyroxine-binding capacity of the thyroxine-binding alpha globulin of serum (TBP) was measured during pregnancy in normal women. This capacity, which probably reflects the concentration of TBP, rises in the early weeks of pregnancy to a level which is approximately 2.5 times that in normal adults, remains essentially unchanged throughout pregnancy, and returns to normal within 6 weeks post partum. As a result of this rise in TBP, the concentration of free thyroxine in serum, calculated with the aid of certain assumptions, is significantly lower than that in nonpregnant adults, despite a rise in serum PBI. The thyroxine-binding capacity of TBP in the newborn is approximately 1.5 times that in normal adults, and is lower than that in the mother. Since the PBI in the newborn is approximately equal to that in the mother, the concentration of free thyroxine is significantly higher. This level, however, is the same as that in nonpregnant adults.

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