title: Leptin concentration during different trimesters of pregnancy and its relation to other pregnancy hormones.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the levels of leptin and other pregnancy hormones (progesterone, estradiol, folliculi stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and beta human chorionic gonadotropin) in pregnant females during different stages of pregnancy and to correlate these levels to maternal weight, body mass index (BMI), babies weight and babies BMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Leptin level and other pregnancy hormones were measured in 36 pregnant females and 30 non-pregnant females followed at King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the year 2001 in a prospective study. Blood samples were collected at the first, 2nd and 3rd trimester and after delivery. Correlation analysis between leptin level and pregnancy hormones, in addition to maternal weight, BMI, babies weight and BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean leptin levels during pregnancy and postnatally were significantly higher in pregnant females compared to the non-pregnant controls. Serum concentration of leptin increased significantly (p=0.01) in the pregnant females from 21.24 +/- 9 ng/ml during the first trimester to 26.3 +/- 8.69 ng/ml during the 2nd trimester, but insignificantly decreased to 23.29 +/- 8.62 ng/ml during the 3rd trimester (p=0.073). After delivery leptin concentration significantly decreased to 17.36 +/- 7.95 ng/ml (p=0.0025). The changes in levels of leptin during pregnancy were independent to other pregnancy hormones which showed a different pattern of variation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The changes in levels of leptin during pregnancy were independent to other pregnancy hormones which showed a different pattern of variation.
authors.affiliation: College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fatma S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Al-Atawi
authors.forename: Mohammed H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Addar
authors.forename: Arjumand S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Warsy
authors.forename: Zainab A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Babay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000097:blood*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012529:Saudi Arabia
chemical_list: D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D020738:Leptin; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol