Maternal serum placental growth hormone at 11–13 weeks’ gestation in pregnancies delivering small for gestational age neonates

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether the maternal serum concentration of human placental growth hormone (PGH) at 11–13 weeks’ gestation is altered in pregnancies that deliver small for gestational age (SGA) neonates. Methods: Maternal serum concentration of PGH was measured in 60 cases that subsequently delivered SGA neonates in the absence of preeclampsia and compared to 120 non-SGA controls. Results: In the SGA group, compared to the non-SGA group, there was no significant difference in the median PGH MoM (0.95 MoM, IQR 0.60–1.30 vs. 1.00 MoM, IQR 0.70–1.30, p = 0.97). There was no significant association between PGH MoM and birth weight percentile in either the SGA (p = 0.72) or in the non-SGA group (p = 0.63). Conclusion: Maternal serum PGH at 11–13 weeks’ gestation is unlikely to be a useful biochemical marker for early prediction of SGA.

Keywords::

• Fetal growth
• first-trimester screening
• insulin-like growth factor-I
• placental growth hormone
• pyramid of care
• small for gestational age

Acknowledgements

The assays were performed by Marianna Ioannou PhD and Apostolos Zaravinos PhD, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.

Declaration of Interest: The study was supported by a grant from The Fetal Medicine Foundation (UK Charity No: 1037116).