Respiratory distress syndrome: steroid and peptide hormone levels in maternal venous blood and the umbilical vein and artery.

The concentration of steroid and peptide hormones in the development of the respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn has been investigated. Serum progesterone, dehydroandrostenedione sulphate (DHAS) oestradiol, oestriol, cortisol, prolactin and human placental lactogen (HPL) concentrations were measured by radioimmune assay (RIA) in samples obtained from the maternal vein and the premature newborn's umbilical artery and vein. The results were grouped according to gestational age into two groups, 28-32 and 33-36 weeks. Serum cortisol level was lower in maternal blood and both the umbilical vein and artery if the newborn subsequently developed RDS. No deviations from healthy values were encountered with any other hormone. These observations and data in the literature suggest that maturation of the fetal lung is influenced not only by maternal glucocorticoid secretion but also by the activity of the fetal adrenal cortex.