Low urinary oestrogen excretion during pregnancy, due to an impairment of fetal adrenocorticotrophic hormone secretion.

Four cases of newborn infants whose mothers had a low urinary oestrogen excretion during pregnancy are reported. Placental sulphatase deficiency in placental insufficiency were excluded by a dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate loading test. Postnatally, they developed a clinical picture characterized by an inappropriate secretion of cortisol which, by the results of an adrenocorticotrophic hormone stimulation test, appeared to be due to an impairment of adrenocorticotrophic hormone secretion. The prenatal and postnatal steroid metabolism is discussed.