Further evidence of prolactin production from human decidua and its transport across fetal membrane.

In this study the human decidua, chorion and amnion were incubated for short term. Only the decidua, secreted much prolactin clearly among them as a function of time. When the amounts of prolactin in the maternal blood, cord blood obtained from umbilical vein, or those released into decidual incubation medium were compared with the amniotic fluid prolactin levels, only the decidual prolactin correlated significantly with the amniotic fluid prolactin. The urine obtained from newborns showed a low concentration of prolactin. These results suggest that the origin of prolactin present in the amniotic fluid is not from the mother or fetus, but from the decidua which has the ability of producing prolactin, and that prolactin secreted from this tissue may be transported into the amniotic fluid through the fetal membrane and accumulated there.