PLASMA LEVELS OF PROGESTERONE,ESTRAOIOL,ESTRIOL,HCS AND HCG IN THE THREATENED PREMATURE LABOUR .

The placental hormones secretion was studied in cases of threate-. ned premature labour (TPL) to elucidate their role in the pathogenesis of the syndrome. 14 cases of TPL were studied: 8 favoura8ly resolved and 6 ending in premature labour or in labour at term with small for date foetuses. A 11 the cases were treated with beta-adrenergi c druqs and four of them also with retard progesterone. Each case was fbllo- wed with daily blood samnles for peri od ranging from one to 8 weeks and HCS,HCG~Estradiol (E2),Estriol (E3) and Progesterone (P) ~las~a levels were measured by specific radioimmunoassays~ All cases showed r plasma levels significantly lower than could be exoected according to the weeks of pregnancy; the E2 plasma levels were found to be normal or increased without any correlation with the clinical behaviour of the TPL syndrome; the E3 plasma levels generally reconfirmed their validity in the diagnosis of the small for date foe- tuses. No significant observations were made on the HCG pl.levels. The HCS assay reconfirms its prognostic values on the TPL evolution and on the foetal conditions. The treatment with retard progesterone i.m.ev- en increasing to above normal the progesterone and estrogens plasma le- vels,does not seem to interfere significantly on the clinical evolution of the TPL syndrome.