Effect of steroid prophylaxis and of elective caesarean section on maternal and fetal cortisol values.

The cortisol level was studied during and after delivery in the mothers and their newborns after normal deliveries, elective Caesarean sections, and steroid pre-treated vaginal deliveries. The suppressive effect of Caesarean section, and steroid pre-treated vaginal deliveries. The suppressive effect of exogenous steroid was observed in both the mother and the newborn but its extent was not significant and its duration transitory; in 48 hours it disappeared. In the newborns delivered by elective Caesarean section, an extreme increase in the cortisol level was observed. The cortisol level in the amniotic fluid was not suitable for evaluating the function of the hypophysis-adrenal axis, especially not after steroid prophylaxis.