title: Serum erythropoietin quantitation in pregnancy using an enzyme-linked immunoassay.
abstract: During normal pregnancy there is a decrease in the hematocrit due to a disproportionate increase in the blood volume compared with the red cell mass. Using a new enzyme-linked immunoassay (Amgen Diagnostics), serum erythropoietin was quantified in normal nonanemic pregnancies throughout gestation and in third trimester anemic patients. We found that the mean hematocrit in normal pregnancy reached a nadir late in the second trimester and the serum erythropoietin plateaued at a 50% increase. Those pregnancies complicated by anemia defined by a hematocrit less than 30 vol% demonstrated a statistically significant increase in serum erythropoietin above those not anemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Harstad
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cox
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000097:blood*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012156:Reticulocytes
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin