[Management of fetuses in the late pregnancy by serial determinations of serum human placental lactogen levels].

Serum human placental lactogen levels (HPL) were measured serially during the last three weeks before full term deliveries of 69 normal and 60 high risk pregnant women with the method of latex agglutination (Gestefollow 'Eiken'). Except pregnancies complicated with diabetes mellitus, no fetal distress were observed when deliveries were made while HPL levels were increasing. The incidence of fetal distress was only 3.7 per cent when the range of variation of HPL levels was within 20 per cent for 3 weeks before delivery. On the contrary, the incidence of fetal distress increased to 29.4 per cent when infants were delivered after decreasing of HPL levels to less than 80 per cent of the highest HPL levels. It was also demonstrated that single determinations of HPL levels were not clinically useful in predicting fetal distress or fetal growth retardation.