E. Jauniaux et al., CELOMIC FLUID CHORIONIC-GONADOTROPIN AND PROTEIN CONCENTRATIONS IN NORMAL AND COMPLICATED FIRST-TRIMESTER HUMAN PREGNANCIES, Human reproduction, 10(1), 1995, pp. 214-220
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.