title: Insulin-related growth factor binding protein-1 levels in ovum donation pregnancies.
abstract: The finding that endometrial maturation may be delayed following hormone replacement therapy has suggested that a generalised endometrial dysfunction may exist in ovum recipients. In order to investigate this suggestion further, circulating levels of IGFBP-1 were measured in samples taken throughout pregnancies conceived either spontaneously or following ovum donation. When analysed at two-weekly intervals, the serum levels of IGFBP-1 in ovum donation pregnancies failed to show the expected peak towards the end of the first trimester and were significantly reduced at week ten (U = 364.5, p = 0.0002) and twelve (U = 138.0, p = 0.0047). For the remainder of pregnancy, circulating IGFBP-1 levels were similar in both groups. The birth weight of children born to the ovum donation group was not significantly different from a normal control group, suggesting that circulating levels of IGFBP-1 in early pregnancy do not reflect local function and that IGFBP-1 does not have an essential function (in relation to birth weight) in early pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hills
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chard
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Irvine
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Abdalla
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018587:Oocyte Donation; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1