Cigarette smoking in pregnancy results in marked decrease in maternal hCG and oestradiol levels |
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| Authors: | LESLIE BERNSTEIN MALCOLM C PIKE ROGERTO A LOBO ROBERT H DEPUE RONALD K ROSS BRIAN E HENDERSON |
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| Institution: | Departments of Preventive Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gyneeology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA;Division of Cancer Etiology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA |
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| Abstract: | Summary. We have examined serum levels of oestradiol (E2), sexhormone binding globulin (SHBG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) during early pregnancy in relation to smoking status at the time of sampling in a series of 147 women. Smoking was associated with significantly depressed serum levels of E2, SHBG and hCG: in smokers, E2 levels were on average 17·6% lower ( P =0·037), SHBG levels were 12·4% lower ( P =0·15), and hCG levels were 21·5% lower ( P =0·044). There appeared to be a steady decline in these values with increasing cigarette consumption. These lower hormone levels in smokers may explain certain adverse effects of smoking in pregnancy. |
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