Maternal Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone and Cortisol During Labour and Vaginal Delivery

Abstract

Summary Plasma concentrations of ACTH (by radioimmunoassay) and cortisol (by competitive protein binding) were measured in eight healthy parturients during labour and vaginal delivery. The concentration of both ACTH and cortisol increased during labour; the maximum values were recorded immediately prior to delivery. The changes correlated well with the degree of cervical dilatation. Both the mean (±SEM) ACTH (275.3±39.5 pg./ml.) and cortisol (2.33±0.49 μmol./l.) recorded before delivery were significantly elevated compared with the initial values (ACTH: 89.3±39.5 pg./ml.; cortisol: 0.86±0.20 μmol./l.).

Changes in Fetal and Maternal Blood Levels of Prolactin, Cortisol, and Cortisone during Eutocic and Dystocic Childbirth

“…Indeed, fetal distress followed by instrumental extraction increased mater nal stress intensity and induced a simulta neous elevation of cortisol. This observation is similar to that of Kauppila et al [1974] who showed that maternal serum cortisol levels were higher in women who delivered vaginally than in mothers who were deliv ered by cesarean section.…”

“…However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no study detailing the effects of late fetal distress on these plasma parameters. This prompted us to report our results deal ing with two parallel series of women; one series of woman having a normal delivery with a normal appearing child, and a second series of infants who were delivered with instruments because of late fetal distress [Kauppila et al, 1974;Haning et al, 1978;Levina, 1980;Puolokha, 1982;Predine et al, 1979;Sulon et al, 1978].…”

PLASMA NON‐ESTERIFIED FATTY ACIDS, CORTISOL AND GLUCOSE IN MATERNAL BLOOD DURING ABORTION INDUCED WITH INTRA‐AMNIOTIC PROSTAGLANDIN F2α

“…We have confirmed the progressive rise in plasma cortisol described by others for both spontaneous and induced labours (Cawson et al, 1974;Kauppila et al, 1974;Tuimala et al, 1976), a rise similar to that found by MacKenzie et a1 (1977) in a series of 13 women after intraamniotic instillation of prostaglandin. As the normal diurnal variation of maternal blood cortisol in pregnancy is in the opposite direction (the highest level is at 0900 hours and the lowest at 1700 hours) (Mukherjee and Swyer, 1972), it is reasonable to suggest that but for this effect, the rises in our study might have been even greater.…”

Biochemical Changes in Prolonged Labour in the Tropics

“…The fall in serum potassium was equally rapid and had reached a highly significant level within 4 to 6 hours of the onset of labour with a further fall as labour advanced. The fall in potassium was probably due to the increased secretion of cortisol (Adadevoh and Akinla, I97 1) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (Kauppila et al, 1974) in labour leading to an increase in urinary loss. The much slower changes in serum sodium and chloride are due to active renal conservation, shown by the significant fall in the osmolality of the urine assisted, as Tinckler (1966) pointed out, by reduced loss of electrolytes in sweat.…”