title: Amniotic fluid erythropoietin predicts fetal distress in Rh-immunized pregnancies.
abstract: Repeated amniotic fluid erythropoietin measurements in 23 Rh-immunized pregnancies were done to evaluate erythropoietin levels of amniotic fluid as an indicator of fetal distress (umbilical artery, pH 7.14 or less, or 1-minute Apgar score of 4 or less). Amniotic fluid erythropoietin levels did not vary significantly between 168 and 273 gestational days in the pregnancies without fetal distress. Increasing levels of amniotic fluid erythropoietin predicted highly reliably severe fetal distress at birth. Whether erythropoietin levels of amniotic fluid can also predict fetal distress in other pathologic pregnancies needs further study.
authors.affiliation: Department I of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Voutilainen
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Widness
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Clemons
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Teramo
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000032:analysis*; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000032:analysis; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000032:analysis; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D012203:Rh Isoimmunization / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin; D001663:Bilirubin