The plasma half-life of placental hormones.

Blood was collected from 12 women following Caesarean section or normal delivery at term. The decline in plasma concentration of total oestriol, oestriol sulphate, oestriol glucosiduronate, unconjugated oestriol, human placental lactogen and pregnancy specific beta1 glycoprotein following delivery of the placenta was studied for 120 hours. The steroids and human placental lactogen fell very rapidly but pregnancy specific beta1 glycoprotein declined much more slowly. Analysis of the curves of puerperal decline suggests that the oestriol moieties are distributed in many compartments of the mother but that the proteins penetrate only to the plasma and the interstitial fluid.