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DAN TULCHINSKY, RAPIN OSATHANONDH, SERGE BELISLE, KENNETH J. RYAN, Plasma Estrone, Estradiol, Estriol and Their Precursors in Pregnancies with Anencephalic Fetuses, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 45, Issue 5, 1 November 1977, Pages 1100–1103, https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem-45-5-1100
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Abstract
The plasma concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA-sulfate (DS), unconjugated estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3) were measured by radioimmunoassay in maternal peripheral vein (MPV) and umbilical vein (UV) of 10 patients at term pregnancy carrying anencephalic fetuses and in 15 normal controls. The mean maternal plasma DHEA and DS concentrations of patients carrying anencephalics (6.4 ± 1.1 (se) ng/ml and 0.75 ± 0.1 (se) μg/ml, respectively) were not significantly different from normal (P > 0.05). The mean UV plasma DHEA concentration of anencephalics of 2.2 ± 0.6 (se) ng/ml was not significantly different from that of normal infants (4.2 ± 0.7 (se) ng/ml P > 0.05), whereas umbilical vein DS concentrations of most anencephalics were undetectable (<0.05 μg/ml).
The mean MPV and UV plasma E1 and UV E2 concentration of patients carrying anencephalics (5.0 ± 1.6 and 15.0 ± 3.2, and 7.2 ± 2.1 (se) ng/ml, respectively) was not significantly lower than normal (P > 0.05). The mean MPV plasma E2 concentrations of patients carrying anencephalics of 10.0 ± 2.0 (se) ng/ml was 41% and significantly (P < 0.05) lower than normal, but only 2 patients had subnormal MPV E2 levels. The mean plasma concentration of E3 in MPV and UV was, however, extremely low (4% and 8% that of normal; P < 0.01). It is concluded that normal concentrations of plasma E1 and E2 are found in many pregnancies complicated by anencephaly.
