title: A comparison of serum androgens in pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the serum androgens level during the third trimester of pregnancy between normotensive and pre-eclamptic women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study was performed on 64 pregnant women with the gestational age of 28-34 weeks. 32 women were pre-eclamptic (case group), and 32 women were normotensive till term gestation (control group). The serum level of androgens including sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), total and free testosterone, androstenedione (ADD), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The women of the two groups had no statistically significant difference according to age, gestational age, BMI (body mass index), parity and fetal sex. Serum level of SHBG (90.86 ± 9.30 vs. 55.86 ± 8.02 nmol/l, p = 0.02), total testosterone (3.70 ± 0.57 vs. 2.06 ± 0.24 ng/ml, p = 0.01), free testosterone (1.28 ± 0. 17 vs. 0. 74 ± 0.07 pg/ml, p = 0.01), and ADD (2.47 ± 0.10 vs. 2.17 ± 0.10 ng/ml, p = 0.04), was higher in the pre-eclamptic women. However, there was no difference between the two groups for DHEA-S (0.75 ± 0.18 vs. 0.51 ± 0.08 μg/ml, p = 0.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum androgen levels during third trimester of pregnancy are higher in pre-eclamptic women and this may propose an effect of androgens in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Akbarabadi Teaching Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sharifzadeh
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kashanian
authors.forename: Farnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fatemi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D000735:Androstenedione; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate