Abstract
The effect of gestational age on the interrelationships between infant weight (n = 464) and maternal (n = 331) and cord (n = 464) growth hormone (GH) concentrations and maternal (n = 326) human chorionic somatomammotropin (HCS) levels was determined in unselected obstetric patients delivered of infants between 31 and 45 weeks of gestation. A significant negative correlation (r = −0.113) was observed between gestational age and maternal HCS. After correction for gestational age, there was a low but significant correlation between infant weight and maternal HCS (average r = 0.129) and between HCS and placental weight (average r = 0.308). The mean HCS levels of patients admitted in the late stages of labor was significantly lower than those admitted in the earlier stages. Surprisingly, a significant negative correlation (r = −0.203) was observed between cord GH level and infant weight. The low order of correlation between HCS and infant weight indicates that single HCS determinations drawn during labor are a poor indicator of fetal size.
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