Association between raised serum relaxin levels during the eighteenth gestational week and very preterm delivery.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to evaluate a possible association between serum relaxin levels in the 18th gestational week and preterm delivery.


METHODS
We conducted a nested case-control study that was based on serum samples obtained in the 18th week of gestation from 1545 unselected healthy primiparous women. Eleven case subjects were delivered very early (9 spontaneously, 2 by indicated cesarean delivery) and 42 moderately early (41 spontaneously, 1 by indicated cesarean delivery); 123 control subjects (121 having spontaneous labor, 2 undergoing indicated cesarean delivery) were randomly selected among the women with delivery at term.


RESULTS
The serum relaxin concentration during the 18th gestational week was 63% higher among subjects with very preterm deliveries than among control subjects (P = .01, Mann-Whitney test). High relaxin levels during the 18th gestational week were associated with an increased risk of very preterm delivery (odds ratio, 11.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.14-59.1) and spontaneous very preterm delivery (odds ratio, 5.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-23). There was a negative correlation for case subjects and control subjects between serum relaxin concentrations during the 18th gestational week and gestational age at delivery (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum relaxin may be an independent predictor when identification of women at risk of very preterm delivery is attempted in the 18th gestational week.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
I
I
Vogel
J D
JD
Salvig
N J
NJ
Secher
N
N
Uldbjerg
D019540:Area Under Curve; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012065:Relaxin / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D012065:Relaxin