Abstract

Universitätsfrauenklinik, 74 Tübingen, and *II. Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Düsseldorf, Germany (Received 9 May 1975) We have reported previously changes of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) before and during pregnancy (Nieschlag, Walk & Schindler, 1974). There are strong indications that labour represents a stressful stimulus to the endocrine system. This is reflected in a rise of maternal plasma corticotrophin (ACTH), corticosteroids, free fatty acids, insulin, androgens and oestrogens (Migneon, Kenny & Taylor, 1968; Rivarola, Forest & Migneon, 1968; Lefebvre, Chapedelaine & Bolté, 1970; Nieschlag, Wombacher, Kremer & Martin, 1970; Kuwabara, Kihara, Arai & Sakamoto, 1971; Kauppila, Tuimala & Haapalahti, 1974). Steroid changes in cord blood during labour have also been noticed (Arai, Kuwabara, Kihara, Okinaga & Sakamoto, 1972). Determinations of DHA and DHAS concentrations in maternal blood during the course of labour are rare and do show a variety of results (Lefebvre et al. 1970; Gandy, 1971). Therefore, we

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