Significance of amniotic fluid glucose in late pregnancy

Abstract

Glucose levels were estimated in over 150 amniotic fluid samples and were found to fall with advancing gestational age. Significantly lower levels were found in post-term pregnancies and in association with fetal growth retardation. Amniotic fluid glucose estimation was found to be superior to human placental lactogen in distinguishing between normal pregnancies and those complicated by fetal growth retardation. The role of the membranes in influencing the level of amniotic fluid glucose was investigated using in vitro perfusion experiments. The permeability of the membranes to glucose decreased with advancing gestational age.