Ethanol kinetics during pregnancy. Study in ewes and their fetuses.

1. Kinetics of placental transfer and elimination of ethanol in maternal and fetal blood and amniotic fluid were studied after iv infusion of ethanol in 3 ewes in the third trimester of pregnancy. 2. Ethanol was transferred rapidly from the maternal to the fetal compartment, and more slowly from these to the amniotic fluid. 3. The kinetics of ethanol elimination from the maternal and fetal circulations were similar, indicating rapid bidirectional transfer between them and elimination from the former only. 4. There was significantly slower elimination of ethanol from the amniotic fluid, with increasing concentrations long after these had started to decline in the maternal and fetal blood. This suggests that the amniotic fluid can act as a reservoir for ethanol storage.