Human placental lactogen (human chorionic somatomammotropin) and oxytocin during pregnancy: Individual patterns and associations with maternal-fetal attachment, anxiety, and depression.

Previous studies support links among maternal-fetal attachment, psychological symptoms, and hormones during pregnancy and the post-partum period. Other studies connect maternal feelings and behaviors to oxytocin and suggest that an increase in oxytocin during pregnancy may prime maternal-fetal attachment. To date, researchers have not examined a possible association between maternal-fetal attachment with human placental lactogen although animal models are suggestive. In the current study, we sought to describe oxytocin and human placental lactogen levels as related to psychological constructs across pregnancy. Seventy women participated in the study. At each of three time-points (early, mid, and late pregnancy), the women had their blood drawn to assess oxytocin and human placental lactogen levels, and they completed psychological assessments measuring maternal-fetal attachment, anxiety, and depression. Our results indicate that oxytocin levels were statistically similar across pregnancy, but that human placental lactogen significantly increased across pregnancy. Results did not indicate significant associations of within-person (comparing individuals to themselves) oxytocin or human placental lactogen levels with maternal-fetal attachment. Additionally, results did not show between-person (comparing individuals to other individuals) oxytocin or human placental lactogen levels with maternal-fetal attachment. Oxytocin levels were not associated with anxiety; rather the stage of pregnancy moderated the effect of the within-person OT level on depression. Notably, increasing levels of human placental lactogen were significantly associated with increasing levels of both anxiety and depression in between subject analyses. The current study is important because it describes typical hormonal and maternal fetal attachment levels during each stage of pregnancy, and because it suggests an association between human placental lactogen and psychological symptoms during pregnancy. Future research should further elucidate these relationships.

Serum Levels of Interleukins in Endometriosis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to produce a comprehensive survey of the serum levels of interleukins (ILs) in untreated people with endometriosis compared with people without endometriosis. DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search of English language studies within Cinahl, Medline Complete, PubMed, and Scopus from inception to May 2023 was performed. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: We included studies that compared IL serum levels in people with endometriosis to those without endometriosis. Meta-analysis was performed on IL-1RA, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17A, IL-18, IL-23, and IL-37. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: The systematic search retrieved 651 studies, of which 77 underwent a full-text review. A total of 30 studies met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. IL-1Ra, IL-6, and IL-37 serum levels were 2.56 (95% CI 2.20-2.92, p <.001), 1.38 (95% CI 0.58-2.17, p <.001), and 1.77 (95% CI 1.33-2.20, p <.001) standard deviations higher in the patients with endometriosis compared with patients without endometriosis while IL-23 serum levels 0.40 (95% CI -0.73 to -0.07, p = .02) standard deviations lower, respectively. CONCLUSION: There is mounting evidence that ILs, especially IL-6, may be good candidates for unique noninvasive diagnostic tools and/or treatment pathways for endometriosis.