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Antenatal serum levels of relaxin in patients having preterm labour
Author(s) -
BELL ROBIN J.,
EDDIE LAWRENCE W.,
LESTER ARLENE R.,
WOOD E. CARL,
JOHNSTON PAUL D.,
NIALL HUGH D.
Publication year - 1988
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.1471-0528.1988.tb06816.x
Subject(s) - relaxin , radioimmunoassay , medicine , pregnancy , preterm labour , obstetrics , preterm labor , hormone , endocrinology , gestation , biology , genetics
Summary. This study is the first report of antenatal levels of relaxin measured by homologous radioimmunoassay in peripheral serum from patients who subsequently had a preterm delivery. Serial blood samples were collected antenatally from a group of subjects known to be at increased risk of preterm labour because of a past history of shortened pregnancy. Serum relaxin was measured using an homologous radioimmunoassay based on a synthetic bioactive analogoue of the native hormone. In women whose pregnancies ended preterm most measurements were within the range of values previously established in normal antenatal patients although some measurements early in pregnancy were above the normal range. These findings suggest that low serum levels of relaxin are not causatively related to the onset of labour before term.