Abstract
Introduction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of fetal sex on serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and testosterone in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies. Materials and Methods. This is a cross-sectional study and 139 women with singleton pregnancies in the third trimester were studied. Seventy-one pregnancies were uncomplicated; among those were 35 male and 36 female fetuses. Sixty-eight pregnancies were complicated by preeclampsia; among those were 35 male and 33 female fetuses. Human chorionic gonadotropin and total testosterone were measured in maternal peripheral blood. Data analyzed by SPSS software. Results. In male-bearing pregnancies, maternal hCG and testosterone serum levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic than normotensive mothers (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, resp.) in female-bearing pregnancies testosterone levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic than normotensive mothers (P < 0.001). Total testosterone levels were significantly higher in pregnancies with either gender and significantly higher in mlae-bearing than in female-bearing pregnancies. Conclusion. According to our results, there is a correlation between maternal serum hCG and testosterone levels and preeclampsia. Therefore these tests can be used as routine during 30–38 weeks of gestation. High maternal serum concentrations of these markers can predict preeclampsia.
Highlights
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of fetal sex on serum human chorionic gonadotropin and testosterone in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies
Women who had a proteinuria between trace to 2+ and without any signs and symptoms of severe preeclampsia were considered as mild-to-moderate preeclampsia
Mean serum testosterone level without considering fetus sex was reported 2.67 ± 0.03 nmol/L in normal pregnancies and 4.92 ± 0.12 nmol/L for preeclamptic pregnancies (Table 5). These results are consistent with previous studies which indicated that there is no gender difference in maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, but there is a shift from second to third trimester so that hCG levels significantly increase in female-bearing pregnancies and decrease in male-bearing pregnancies [9]
Summary
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of fetal sex on serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and testosterone in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies. In male-bearing pregnancies, maternal hCG and testosterone serum levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic than normotensive mothers (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, resp.) in female-bearing pregnancies testosterone levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic than normotensive mothers (P < 0.001). Total testosterone levels were significantly higher in pregnancies with either gender and significantly higher in mlae-bearing than in female-bearing pregnancies. There is a correlation between maternal serum hCG and testosterone levels and preeclampsia. These tests can be used as routine during 30–38 weeks of gestation. Maternal serum concentration of total testosterone (TT) increases gradually throughout pregnancy, whereas free testosterone (FT) levels change very little until the third trimester and become double. The sources for the increased testosterone levels in maternal serum are unknown but could be the ovarian thecainterstitial cells and the maternal cortex, which might be stimulated by hCG throughout pregnancy [4]
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