title: [Growth hormone and prolactin in maternal plasma and amniotic fluid during normal gestation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the concentration of human growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) in maternal plasma (MP) and amniotic fluid (AF) during gestation and to evaluate their correlation.
  
  
  METHODS
  HC and PRL were measured by radioimmunoassay in 60 healthy women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 16-36 weeks of gestation (WG). Trends of both hormones were estimated throughout pregnancy. The correlation of either hormone measured in different fluids was also estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GH in AF (AFGH) decreased significantly throughout pregnancy; (AF-GH = 21.32 - 0.54 X WG, r = -0.72 [95% confidence intervals (95% CI) -0.57-0.82], p = 0.001), and increased in MP (MP-GH); (MP-GH = 2.73 + 0.11 X WG, r = 0.45 [95% CI, 0.21-0.63] p = 0.05). The correlation between MP-GH and AF-GH was, (AF-GH = 16.28 - 1.54 x - M-PGH, r = -0.47 [95% CI, -0.64 -0.21]; p = 0.01). PRL values did not show significant differences neither in AF (AF-PRL / WG, r = 0.06, p = 0.6) nor in MP (MP-PRL / WG, r = 0.25, p = 0.14) during pregnancy, being AF-PRL (mean 151.3 ng/mL, SD 34.2 ng/mL) significantly higher than MP-PRL (mean 119.3 ng/mL, SD 55.4 ng/mL) (p = 0.006) in all the studied period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AF-GH and MP-GH showed a significant negative correlation during pregnancy. PRL measured in AF and PM did not show changes throughout gestation being AF-PRL significantly higher than MP-PRL.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Fetal, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, México.
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández-Andrade
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Villanueva-Díaz
authors.forename: José Roberto
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ahued-Ahued
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011388:Prolactin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D011388:Prolactin