title: The fetal hypothalamus and pituitary in the initiation of labour.
abstract: Evidence is presented for a number of events in the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary axis which may play a key role in the onset of labour: (1) In the sheep fetus a progressive rise in the fetal circulating concentrations of corticotropin in the days preceding delivery; (2) In the human fetus a switch from the production of corticotropin-like fragments (melanotropin and corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide) to authentic corticotropin in the last weeks of gestation; there is evidence also for a placental origin of corticotropin; (3) In the human fetus, a release of oxytocin and vasopressin associated with the process of spontaneous labour.
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000196:embryology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000196:embryology; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000378:metabolism; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism; D010904:Pituitary Gland, Posterior / Q000196:embryology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000196:embryology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009481:Neurophysins; D014667:Vasopressins; D010121:Oxytocin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone