Effects of chronic renal failure and hemodialysis on hormonal evaluation of pregnancy.

Different hormonal parameters are studied in a pregnant woman with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, alpha-fetoprotein, human placental lactogen were all higher than the normal range. This is probably related to a decreased metabolic clearance rate of these hormones. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), which is low before pregnancy and during the first week of gestation, tends to increase later. Serum estradiol is lower than the normal range. This decrease probably results from the low concentration of DHEAS available to placental aromatization. Finally, pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein concentration follows the normal range and may be considered as the most reliable parameters to evaluate the fetoplacental well-being in these high-risk pregnancies.