Evaluation of androgen and progesterone levels of women with preeclampsia in third trimester

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to determine whether maternal serum levels of androgen and progesterone, are higher in patient with preeclampsia than in matched control subjects. Serum progesterone, total testosterone, free testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone levels were measured in 19 subjects in third trimester of pregnancy with documented preeclampsia and 17 healthy normotensive women with similar maternal and gestational ages. All subjects were primigravida women with singleton pregnancy who were visited in Kosar Medical center in Uromiyeh. There were no significant differences between two groups in maternal age, gestational age and body mass index. Progesterone and free testosterone levels were significantly lower [p=0.01] in patients with preeclampsia [75.1 +/- 8.6 ng/dL and 2.27 +/- 1.71 pg/dL, respectively] than in control group [111.6 +/- 9.71 ng/dL and 3.73 +/- 1.31 pg/dL, respectively]. There were no significant differences in total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone levels between cases [1.02 +/- 0.10 ng/dL and 0.99 +/- 0.13 micro g/dL, respectively] and controls [1.37 +/- .019 ng/dL and 0.98 micro 5.15 micro g/dL, respectively]. Accentuated sex hormone binding globulin increase in preeclampsia is the cause of significant decreased free testosterone of preeclamptic cases. Levels of progesterone were pathologically and significantly lower in preeclamptic cases than control women with similar age, gestational age and body mass index. This difference raises the possibility for a role of progesterone in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia