ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation of level of leptin in cord blood and duration of labor. METHODS: Eighty-four pregnant women who had delivered during Jan. 2004-Jun. 2004. at the delivery unit of St. Mary's Hospital of Catholic University Medical College. We checked the level of leptin in cord blood, total duration of labor (cervix 3 cm-delivery of placenta), age of pregnant women, body weight before pregnancy, body weight before delivery, weight of the baby and placenta, head circumference, abdominal circumference, and height of the baby. Leptin was checked by ELISA. RESULTS: Cord blood leptin was in proportion to one's pregnancy duration (umbilical vein p<0.01, umbilical artery p<0.05), change of body weight (p<0.05), weight of placenta (p<0.01), weight of newborn (umbilical artery p<0.01, umbilical vein p<0.05), baby's abdominal circumference (umbilical vein p<0.01, umbilical artery p<0.05). Leptin was in inverse proportion to head circumference of new born infant in umbilical artery (p<0.01) and in umbilical vein (p<0.05). Level of leptin in umbilical vein was in proportion to duration of labor (p<0.05). When the labor duration exceeded 8 hours, leptin in cord blood decreased suddenly, but within 8 hours, their correlation coefficient showed a strong relationship (p<0.01) between the labor duration and leptin level in cord blood. CONCLUSION: Duration of labor affects the level of leptin in cord blood.