Abstract
The appearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor in pregnancy and its rapid disappearance after delivery is well documented. The protein-bound fraction, a common component of plasma, does not change during pregnancy. We investigated the peripartum changes in both free and protein-bound fractions of digoxinlike immunoreactive factor and observed different peripartum patterns of those fractions. While the disappearance of the free fraction after delivery was reconfirmed, the protein-bound fraction exhibited a biphasic pattern: a rapid decrease after delivery with a slow increase to predelivery levels seven weeks later. The disappearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor after delivery may reflect the elimination of the fetal source. The changes in the protein-bound fraction imply that the fraction may also vary in certain clinical situations and may be produced in response to certain homeostatic changes and suggest a possible interaction between fetal and maternal systems that produce digoxinlike immunoreactive factor during pregnancy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 127-130 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | The Journal of reproductive medicine |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - 1992 |
| Externally published | Yes |