Intraamniotic or intravenous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in midgestation: effect on prolactin level in maternal serum and amniotic fluid

Some new aspects of the endocrinological response to pregnancy

Serial measurements of serum progesterone, oestradiol, prolactin, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL) have been determined in 32 healthy women at regular intervals throughout pregnancy. The data confirm previous reports that levels of these hormones vary widely between individuals at each stage of gestation, but further analyses have shown two other features: first there is a clear tendency for individuals to retain their rank in the spectrum of hormone values throughout pregnancy; second when the concentrations of the individual hormones (except hCG) are transformed to logarithmic values, the trends within individuals approximate well to straight lines during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. These findings provide a relatively simple method for describing the rates of change in the concentrations of these hormones and for examining possible relations between them. They also suggest that the quality of the maternal endocrine milieu may be determined at an early stage of gestation.

Maternal serum hormone changes during abortion induced with 9-deoxo-16, 16-dimethyl-9-methylene prostaglandin E2

Serum hormone levels in women undergoing successful first and second trimester abortions induced by 9-deoxo-16, 16-dimethyl-9-methylene prostaglandin E2 vagitories have been measured. Significantly decreased levels of prolactin (p less than 0.01) and TSH (p less than 0.05) were seen in both groups of women but the drop appeared sooner, within two hours, in first trimester abortions. Regardless of gestational length there was a significant decrease in serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (p less than 0.01) concentrations in maternal serum six hours into treatment. In the second trimester abortions total estriol, alpha-fetoprotein and lactoplacental hormone hPL were analysed in maternal serum but the levels did not change over the eight hour investigation period. It is speculated that the PGE2-derivative most likely affects the maternal pituitary secretion of prolactin and TSH, possibly via direct or indirect interference with TRH mechanism(s).

Stable prolactin level after enhanced estradiol production following dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate

To evaluate whether intravenous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), by enhancing estradiol (E2) production, would stimulate prolactin (PRL) secretion in late pregnancy, maternal serum PRL was determined before and 1 to 5 hours after administration of 100 mg of DHEAS in a total of 41 women with normal or complicated late pregnancies (twin pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, diabetes). The basal serum PRL concentration in patients with diabetes was significantly lower than normal. The mean PRL level did not change significantly in any group in spite of the increase in serum E2 levels after the DHEAS injection. The lack of PRL response to a rapid rise in E2 may be due to the maximal inhibition of the PRL-inhibiting factor in the hypothalamus and/or maximal activation of the pituitary lactotrophs occasioned by the high estrogen environment during late pregnancy.