Maternal Progesterone Level in Fetal Growth Restriction and Its Relationship with Doppler Velocimetry Indices

Background/Objective To verify whether progesterone concentration is changed in the maternal serum of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) pregnancies and to assess if there is a relationship between maternal progesterone and fetal Doppler velocimetry. Patients and Methods Thirty-five patients with intrauterine growth retardation infants and thirty-seven pregnant women with appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fetuses were enrolled in the study. Maternal progesterone serum was determined. Doppler velocimetry of umbilical and middle cerebral arteries (MCA) were obtained in all fetuses. Results Maternal progesterone level in IUGR infants (58.49±7.06 ng/ml) had no significant difference with AGA fetuses (58.13±7.87 ng/ml) (p=0.96). In the IUGR group, umbilical artery resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI) and systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio were higher than the normal group (p<0.001), and MCA RI (p value=0.014) and PI (p=0.012) were significantly less than the IUGR group. Besides, RI C/U in the IUGR group was significantly less than the normal group (p<0.001). A negative significant correlation was detected between maternal progesterone level and MCA PI (r=-0.38) and RI (r=-0.38) in the AGA group. Conclusion It seems that progesterone has no effect on fetal placental circulation and serum progesterone can not discriminate IUGR infants from AGA infants. Progesterone is a poor marker for placental dysfunction.

[1]  M. Menegazzi,et al.  Doppler analysis and placental nitric oxide synthase expression during fetal growth restriction , 2008, The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians.

[2]  H. Bucher,et al.  17-Hydroxyprogesterone in premature infants as a marker of intrauterine stress , 2008, Journal of perinatal medicine.

[3]  S. Deering,et al.  17-Hydroxyprogesterone caproate reverses induced vasoconstriction of the fetoplacental arteries by the thromboxane mimetic U46619. , 2006, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[4]  W. Ott,et al.  Sonographic diagnosis of fetal growth restriction. , 2006, Clinical obstetrics and gynecology.

[5]  D. Barker,et al.  Adult Consequences of Fetal Growth Restriction , 2006, Clinical obstetrics and gynecology.

[6]  Eugenia K. Pallotto,et al.  Perinatal Outcome and Later Implications of Intrauterine Growth Restriction , 2006, Clinical obstetrics and gynecology.

[7]  D. Maulik.  Fetal growth compromise: definitions, standards, and classification. , 2006, Clinical obstetrics and gynecology.

[8]  D. Maulik.  Fetal growth restriction: the etiology. , 2006, Clinical obstetrics and gynecology.

[9]  P. Rosso,et al.  Time Course of Maternal Plasma Volume and Hormonal Changes in Women With Preeclampsia or Fetal Growth Restriction , 2006, Hypertension.

[10]  C. Hermenegildo,et al.  Progestogens stimulate prostacyclin production by human endothelial cells. , 2005, Human reproduction.

[11]  S. Qu,et al.  Effect of progesterone on the contractile response of isolated pulmonary artery in rabbits. , 2001, Canadian journal of physiology and pharmacology.

[12]  K. Joseph,et al.  Gestational age- and birthweight-specific declines in infant mortality in Canada, 1985-94. Fetal and Infant Health Study Group of the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System. , 2000, Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology.

[13]  H. Hoffman,et al.  Neurodevelopmental outcome of small-for-gestational-age infants. , 1998, European journal of clinical nutrition.

[14]  M. Kramer,et al.  Comparison of birth weight distributions between Chinese and Caucasian infants. , 1995, American journal of epidemiology.

[15]  D. Stevenson,et al.  The Cognitive Outcome of Full‐Term Small for Gestational Age Infants at Late Adolescence , 1995, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[16]  M. Kramer,et al.  Impact of intrauterine growth retardation and body proportionality on fetal and neonatal outcome. , 1990, Pediatrics.

[17]  C. Labarrere,et al.  Inadequate maternal vascular response to placentation in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and by small‐for‐gestational‐age infants , 1987, British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology.

[18]  P. Fernlund,et al.  The efficacy of biochemical assays in assessing an IUGR risk-group, preselected with ultrasound fetometry. , 1987, European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology.

[19]  T. Khong,et al.  Inadequate maternal vascular response to placentation in pregnancies complicated by pre‐eclampsia and by small‐for‐gestational age infants , 1986 .

[20]  K. Hirato,et al.  [Prenatal diagnosis of IUGR by assessing the multiple hormone concentration in maternal peripheral blood]. , 1984, Nihon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai zasshi.

[21]  L. Myatt,et al.  Decreased prostacyclin production by placental cells in culture from pregnancies complicated by fetal growth retardation , 1983, British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology.

[22]  M. Dawood.  Circulating maternal serum progesterone in high-risk pregnancies. , 1976, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.