Levels of total ascorbic acid, histamine and prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha in the maternal antecubital and foetal umbilical vein blood immediately following the normal human delivery.

Concentrations of total ascorbic acid (AA), histamine and prostaglandins (PGs) E2 and F2 alpha in the maternal antecubital vein and the foetal umbilical vein blood immediately following the normal vaginal delivery have been estimated. The results demonstrate that umbilical blood contains 1.5 to 2.7 times higher values of AA than the maternal blood. The ratio between PGF2 alpha and PGE2 is also wide in the umbilical blood than the antecubital vein blood. In the maternal blood the mean ratio between the two PGs is 1 : 0.7. In the foetal umbilical blood the mean ratio between PGF2 alpha and PGE2 is 1:1.98.