The excretion of 5-oxoproline in urine, as an index of glycine status, during normal pregnancy.

The urinary excretion of 5-oxoproline, which may be used as an index of glycine status, was investigated in 30 normal pregnant women during different stages of pregnancy and in 18 non-pregnant female volunteers. During an 18-h study there was little variation in the 5-oxoproline/creatinine index, and a single sample gave a representative value. The excretion of 5-oxoproline/creatinine (mumol/mmol) rose progressively as pregnancy advanced (non-pregnant mean 10, SD 5, first trimester mean 46, SD 12, second trimester mean 150, SD 180, and third trimester mean 280, SD 320) and by the third trimester was over 20 times greater than in non-pregnant women. The data suggest that as pregnancy advances the endogenous production of glycine may be insufficient to satisfy the increasing demands.