title: Estrogen and androgen concentrations are not lower in the umbilical cord serum of pre-eclamptic pregnancies.
abstract: Reductions in breast cancer risk observed in daughters of pre-eclamptic pregnancies are hypothesized to be mediated by lower in utero estrogen concentrations. Whereas maternal urinary estriol excretion is generally lower in pre-eclamptic women, results for maternal blood concentrations are equivocal, and little is known about estrogen concentrations in the cord of pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Unconjugated estrogen and androgen concentrations were measured in mixed umbilical cord sera from 86 pre-eclamptic and 86 uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies, matched on length of gestation, maternal age, parity, and type of delivery. Pre-eclamptic and uncomplicated pregnancies were similar in maternal age, prepregnancy weight, maternal height, type of delivery, use and type of anesthesia, and sex of offspring. Estriol, estradiol, estrone, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, androstenedione, and testosterone concentrations measured in cord sera were not significantly different in pre-eclamptics compared with uncomplicated pregnancies. Estriol was 9% lower (P = 0.43), and all of the other hormones were actually higher in pre-eclamptics with testosterone and estradiol approaching statistical significance (P = 0.06 and P = 0.12, respectively). These data do not support the hypothesis that the lower breast cancer risk in daughters of pre-eclamptic pregnancies is explained by lower in utero estrogen exposure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. troisir@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Troisi
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Potischman
authors.forename: Christine Neuser
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lykins
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harger
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Markovic
authors.forename: Pentti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siiteri
authors.forename: Robert N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Hoover
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D004967:Estrogens