Abstract
A single i.v. injection of 4 mg dexamethasone was given to 6 diabetic gravidas and 4 controls in the 36th–38th gestational week. Unconjugated estriol (E 3) was measured by radioimmunoassay in maternal serum before dexamethasone injection and 4, 8, 24, 28 and 32 h thereafter. During such an estriol reaction test (E 3RT) the following were noted: (1) suppression of the fetal adrenals causes a drop in maternal E 3 on day 1 of the test in both groups; (2) on day 2, E 3 in the controls is rising faster than in the diabetics; (3) rising E 3 levels in the controls show a distinctive course, which is significantly different from that in the diabetics ( P < 0.05) and which reveals an ‘overshoot’ of E 3; (4) this ‘overshoot’ on day 2 finds confirmation by polynomial curve-fitting; and (5) analysis of E 3 response in maternal serum might be helpful in differentiating between normal fetoplacental function and fetoplacental impairment in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus. However, the clinical application of the E 3RT awaits further data collected from a larger number of patients.
Published Version
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