title: Fetal gender affects maternal serum total and placental alkaline phosphatase levels during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether fetal gender affects total alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and placental ALP levels in normal pregnancy, and to determine the gestational age at which the difference occurs.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this longitudinal study, serum total and placental ALP measurements were carried out in 30 normal pregnant women during different ranges of gestational weeks. Infant sex was recorded at the delivery for all women included in the study. Total and placental ALP levels were compared between pregnant women bearing female and male fetuses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At all gestational weeks studied, both total and placental ALP levels were higher in pregnant women carrying female fetuses than in male bearing pregnant women. Particularly, both total (260.9+/-110.2 versus 239.9+/-102.3; p=0.03) and placental (73.1+/-22.4 versus 61+/-18.2; p=0.04) ALP levels were significantly higher in the female group than in the male between 24 and 28 weeks, and the significant difference persisted between 32 and 36 weeks (p=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetal gender seems to affect total and placental ALP levels in healthy pregnant women, particularly during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Higher ALP levels in pregnant women with female fetuses than in those with male fetuses may suggest that knowledge of the fetal gender may be in particular importance for the studies using ALP as a marker for the prediction of variety of diseases and complications seen during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Inciralti, Izmir, Turkey. mert.gol@deu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Mert
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gol
authors.forename: Ali Riza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Sisman
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guclu
authors.forename: Sabahattin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Altunyurt
authors.forename: Banu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Onvural
authors.forename: Namik
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Demir
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase