Investigation of serum leptin levels in pregnant women during various trimesters and their neonates

Objective: To investigate the variations of serum leptin levels in pregnant women of various trimesters and their neonates as well as the correlativity in-between. Methods: Serum leptin levels in 300 women at pregestation during the three trimesters and the umbilical blood leptin levels in their neonates were measured with RIA. Results: Serum leptin levels in pregnant women rose significantly only from midgestation with a peak at partum (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01 vs pregestation). The leptin levels in neonates were almost the same as those of women of pregestation. The maternal leptin levels were positively correlated to body weight, body weight-index, abdominal perimeter, height of fundus of uterus, diastolic and systolic pressure. The leptin levels in neonates were positively correlated to the birth weight, but not correlated to maternal leptin levels. Conclusion: Leptin in neonates comes from neonates themselves, and its concentrations are determined by the degree of accumulation of body adipose tissue. Measurement of blood leptin concentrations in pregnant women during pregnancy has little meaning for accessing the body weight of fetus, but it can show the degree of maternal weight-gaining and may have some value for clinical observation of the syndrome of pregnant hypertension