CELOMIC FLUID CHORIONIC-GONADOTROPIN AND PROTEIN CONCENTRATIONS IN NORMAL AND COMPLICATED FIRST-TRIMESTER HUMAN PREGNANCIES

Coelomic fluid and maternal serum samples were collected from 43 norma l pregnancies and 18 missed abortions between 7 and 12 weeks of gestat ion, The samples were analysed for the concentrations of intact human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), free alpha HCG, free beta HCG and total protein, The relationships between the biological findings and the ul trasound and pathological features were assessed by regression analysi s, In normal pregnancies, intact HCG, free alpha HCG and free beta HCG concentrations were respectively 1.3, 185 and 33 times higher in coel omic fluid than in maternal serum, The coelomic concentrations of inta ct HCG and free alpha HCG decreased significantly with advancing gesta tion, No relationship was found between coelomic fluid and maternal se rum concentrations of the different variables, These findings suggest that in normal pregnancies, the concentration of HCG in the coelomic f luid, as in maternal serum, is mainly influenced by cytotrophoblastic differentiation and that the metabolic clearance of HCG molecules is s lower in the coelomic cavity than in maternal serum, In missed abortio ns, the serum concentrations of intact HCG, alpha HCG and free beta HC G and the coelomic concentration of total protein were significantly l ower than in normal pregnancies, In three out of nine anembryonic preg nancies diagnosed by ultrasound, embryonic remnants were present at hi stological examination, The coelomic concentration of total protein wa s extremely low in all missed abortions with advanced trophoblastic ne crosis, whereas the HCG concentration was low when embryonic remnants were absent, These findings support the concept that embryonic and pla cental development are closely related in the first trimester of human pregnancy, placental biological functions persisting only for a limit ed period of time after embryonic demise.