Date of confinement prediction from serum diamine oxidase determination in early pregnancy.

A reliable assessment of the date of confinement is often important in early pregnancy. In many pregnancies the menstrual history is in doubt or the size of the uterus does not correspond to the last menstrual period. During early pregnancy the rise of serum diamine oxidase (DAO) is confined within narrow limits to certain weeks of gestation. In a series of 189 patients from the 6th to 16th week of pregnancy, the date of confinement was estimated by enzyme determination, and was also calculated by Naegel's formula. Dating by serum DAO was found to be more accurate than the menstrual history, and this technique is recommended for use in routine clinical practice.