Diurnal variations of estriol and cortisol in serum and urine in late pregnancy with and without fenoterol-therapy.

The serum concentration of unconjugated estriol, total estriol, cortisol in one hour intervals and the urinary excretion of total estrogens and cortisol in three hour intervals was determined in eleven apparently healthy women between 26 and 40 weeks of gestation. They were divided into two groups, in order to study the influence of Fenoterol treatment on the daily variation of the measured parameters. Six patients were treated with Fenoterol and five patients received no medication. Between the two groups no statistical differences could be detected for the measured parameters. Regular and marked diurnal variations in cortisol have been observed, whereas total and unconjugated estriol showed small and irregular daily changes. These daily variations of "estriol" were of the same magnitude as the two-fold methodical standard deviation. For this reason it is not necessary to standardize the sampling time.