Human placental lactogen hormone in serum from pregnant women with rhesus (anti-D) isoimmunization.

Determination of human placental lactogen hormone (HPL) was performed in 346 serum samples from 59 rhesus isoimmunized pregnant women. In all cases of fetal death-either intrauterine or in the first seven days after birth-we find a high level of HPL in maternal serum several weeks before death. All patients with normal HPL concentrations in the maternal serum, and who were treated by intrauterine transfusions, had surviving infants. If the indication for intrauterine transfusion is combined with an elevated HPL level in materal serum one must weigh the risk of the procedure against the poor prognosis for the fetus before deciding whether to intervene. Serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and progesterone were of no clinical use, but we find a correlation between progesterone and HPL differing from the same correlation found in normal and diabetic pregnancies. A possible explanation is discussed in relation to the endoplasmic reticulum in the syncytiotrophoblast.