Human placental lactogen and intrauterine growth retardation

Abstract

Serum human placental lactogen levels were measured after 36 weeks' gestation in 264 serum samples from 109 women with normal pregnancies and in 137 serum samples from 70 women with pregnancies complicated by fetal intrauterine growth retardation (IGR). The fetal and placental weights were significantly lower in the IGR groups while the maternal ages were not different. There was a significantly lower hPL value at each week from 36 to 41 (except for the 39th) in the IGR group. Sixty percent of the women with IGR had hPL values less than 6 mug/ml, and 18.6% were less than 4 mug/ml. It is suggested that a low serum hPL value obtained during the last month of pregnancy should alert the physician to the possibility of intrauterine problems, including IGR.