Plasma estriol in late pregnancy in relation to fetal outcome.

The study is a retrospective report on the capacity of plasma (P-) estriol (E3) determinations in late pregnancy to detect abnormal fetoplacental state at delivery. From the material of cases with P-E3-determinations, two extreme groups were chosen for comparison: those with absolutely normal fetoplacental status at parturition and those with severe disturbances of the fetoplacental status at delivery. The predictability of a single P-E3 value was generally low, especially at the end of pregnancy. Consecutive (at least 3) high or low values, respectively, in the individual case, proved to have a predictable value that might complement other clinical methods for assessing fetoplacental function.