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Placental growth hormone and IGF‐I in a pregnant woman with Pit‐1 deficiency
Author(s) -
Verhaeghe J.,
Bougoussa M.,
Van Herck E.,
De Zegher F.,
Hennen G.,
Igout A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2265.2000.01044.x
Subject(s) - pregnancy , endocrinology , medicine , hormone , placenta , cord blood , fetus , biology , genetics
The respective contributions of pituitary and placental GH to circulating IGF‐I in pregnant women have not been well established. We measured the serum concentrations of placental growth hormone (PGH) and IGF‐I in a woman with pit‐1 deficiency before, during and after pregnancy, resulting in the birth of a healthy child (not pit‐1 deficient). Both PGH and IGF‐I concentrations were below the assay detection limit before and after pregnancy. During pregnancy, PGH and IGF‐I levels increased steadily; the concentrations of PGH and IGF‐I in late pregnancy were comparable with levels previously measured in normal pregnancies. PGH and IGF‐I concentrations were strongly correlated throughout pregnancy ( r = 0.90; P = 0.002). PGH was undetectable in cord serum, whilst the IGF‐I concentration was within the normal range. The findings of this case study corroborate the notion that PGH is the prime regulator of maternal serum IGF‐I during pregnancy.