HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by SCHINDLER, A. E. Articles by NIESCHLAG, E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by SCHINDLER, A. E. Articles by NIESCHLAG, E.

Universitätsfrauenklinik, 74 Tübingen, and *II. Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Düsseldorf, Germany

(Received 9 May 1975)

We have reported previously changes of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) before and during pregnancy (Nieschlag, Walk & Schindler, 1974). There are strong indications that labour represents a stressful stimulus to the endocrine system. This is reflected in a rise of maternal plasma corticotrophin (ACTH), corticosteroids, free fatty acids, insulin, androgens and oestrogens (Migneon, Kenny & Taylor, 1968; Rivarola, Forest & Migneon, 1968; Lefebvre, Chapedelaine & Bolté, 1970; Nieschlag, Wombacher, Kremer & Martin, 1970; Kuwabara, Kihara, Arai & Sakamoto, 1971; Kauppila, Tuimala & Haapalahti, 1974). Steroid changes in cord blood during labour have also been noticed (Arai, Kuwabara, Kihara, Okinaga & Sakamoto, 1972). Determinations of DHA and DHAS concentrations in maternal blood during the course of labour are rare and do show a variety of results (Lefebvre et al. 1970; Gandy, 1971). Therefore, we