Premium
Human chorionic gonadotropin levels in pregnancies with aneuploid fetuses
Author(s) -
Bogart Mark H.,
Golbus Mitchell S.,
Sorg Nancy D.,
Jones O. W.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.1970090602
Subject(s) - aneuploidy , gestation , chorionic villus sampling , human chorionic gonadotropin , fetus , amniocentesis , pregnancy , gonadotropin , obstetrics , chorionic villi , trisomy , biology , gynecology , medicine , andrology , prenatal diagnosis , endocrinology , hormone , chromosome , genetics , gene
Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and the free alpha‐hCG subunit were evaluated in 249 women from 9 to 11 weeks gestation who subsequently underwent chorionic villus sampling for determination of fetal karyotype and in 20 women of 18 or more weeks gestation who were ascertained to have an aneuploid fetus by genetic amniocentesis. Seven of the first‐trimester pregnancies were determined to be aneuploid and six had hCG levels in the normal range (one triploid pregnancy had elevated hCG levels) whereas 12 of the 20 secondtrimester cases had abnormal hCG levels and an additional three had elevated levels of alpha‐hCG. This study confirms the previous report of abnormal maternal serum hCG levels in women with an aneuploid fetus at ≥ 18 weeks gestation and demonstrates that hCG evaluation is not useful at 9–11 weeks gestation for selecting pregnancies at risk for fetal aneuploidy.