[Correlation between levels of prolactin in maternal serum, fetal serum and amniotic fluid in childbirth at term]. / Korelacija vrednosti nivoa prolaktina u serumu majke, serumu ploda i plodovoj vodi kod porodaja trudnice u terminu.

ABSTRACT

In 117 parturients with 38-41 gestation weeks, prolactin was analysed by the radioimmunologic method in the mother serum, the umbilical cord serum and vein, and in the amnionic fluid. Three groups of parturients and their newborns were examined the group (n = 44) with the birth having started spontaneously with the appearance of labour pains 1/10 minutes, the group (n = 38) with a programmed birth induced by the infusion of oxytocin, and the group (n = 35) with the birth comprising elective cesarean section. The concentration of prolactin in the examined sera is characterized by considerable individual oscillations. The highest prolactin level was in the amnionic fluid (395.6 +/- 130.1 mu/L) and the lowest in the mother serum (174.6 +/- 84.1 mu/L) which shows a statistically significant difference (p less than 0.01). Prolactin values in the umbilical artery (244.6 +/- 98.3 mu/L) and vein (230.4 +/- 91.7 mu/L) are significantly (p less than 0.001) higher than the value in the mother sera and significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than the prolactin concentration in the amnionic fluid. The difference of the prolactin values in the sera of the umbilical cord blood vessels has no statistical significance (p greater than 0.05). Nor is there any statistically significant difference between prolactin concentrations in spontaneous and induced deliveries versus those in deliveries terminated with elective cesarean section (p greater than 0.05). A correlation analysis of the functional connection of prolactin in the sera of the mother, fetus, and amnionic fluid gives the correlation coefficient values of high statistical significance (0.482 less than r less than 0.906; p less than 0.001).