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Maternal plasma concentrations of β‐lipotrophin, β‐endorphin and γ‐lipotrophin throughout pregnancy
Author(s) -
BROWNING A. J. F.,
BUTT W. R.,
LYNCH S. S.,
SHAKESPEAR R. A.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1983.tb06462.x
Subject(s) - pregnancy , andrology , plasma , medicine , obstetrics , endocrinology , biology , physics , genetics , quantum mechanics
Summary. Plasma β‐LPH, β‐EP and γ‐LPH concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 10 pregnant women from 12 weeks gestation until term and in nine women in the early follicular phase of the cycle. There was a progressive and significant rise in the concentration of all three peptides throughout pregnancy and by 32 weeks the concentrations of β‐LPH and β‐EP were greater than the corresponding concentrations in the follicular phase: γ‐LPH was greater than in the follicular phase by the end of pregnancy in those women who were delivered after 40 weeks. The ratio of β‐LPH to γ‐LPH did not change significantly throughout pregnancy, but there was a progressive fall in the β‐LPH/β‐EP ratio. The possible presence of a ‘big LPH’ to explain this finding is discussed.