Table 1.
Labour study.
Table 2.
Elective Caesarean Section study.
Figure 1.
Activin A levels (median (ranges) ng/ml) in maternal plasma during labour (A,B) and Caesarean section (C,D) in normal pregnancy (n = 10) and women with pre-eclampsia (n = 10).
In normal pregnancy labour (A) there was a significant decline in activin A levels by 24 hr (a**p<0.01, pre-labour vs 24 hr, b ***p<0.001-full dilatation vs 24 hr, and c***p<0.001-placental delivery vs 24 hr. In pre-eclampsia labour (B) there was a significant increase in levels of activin A, (a*p<0.05 pre-labour vs full dilatation) and a significant decline postpartum (a*p<0.05 pre-labour vs 24 hr, b***p<0.001-full dilatation vs 24 hr, and c**p<0.01-placental delivery vs 24 hr). At Caesarean section a significant decline in levels of activin A by 24 hr was noted with placental delivery in normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia (C,D). (NP a*p<0.05 and PE, a ***p<0.001 placental delivery vs 24 hr).
Figure 2.
Inhibin A levels (n = 10) in maternal plasma during labour and Caesarean section.
Median and ranges for inhibin A levels pg/ml in labour (A, B). In normal pregnancy labour (A) there was a significant decline in inhibin A levels by 24 h (a**p<0.01-prelabour vs 24 hr, full dilatation vs 24 hr, and b* p<0.05-placental delivery vs 24 hr. A similar decline was present in PE labour (B) (a*p<0.05, a-pre-labour vs 24 hr, b **p<0.01-placental delivery vs 24 hr), but the increase noted between pre-labour and full dilatation in pre-eclamptic women was not significant. At Caesarean section (C,D) a significant decline in levels of inhibin A by 24 hr was noted with placental delivery. (NP and PE a**p<0.01 placental delivery vs 24 hr).
Figure 3.
Median and ranges (n = 10) for sFlt-1 levels (ng/ml) in maternal plasma during labour (A,B) and Caesarean section (C,D) in normal pregnancy and women with pre-eclampsia.
In normal pregnancy labour (A) the levels showed a significant decline by 24 hr (a**p<0.01-full dilatation vs 24 hr, and b***p<0.001-placental delivery vs 24 hr). In pre-eclampsia labour (B) a significant increase in sFlt-1 levels was noted (a*p<0.05, -pre-labour vs full dilatation) and the levels declined post-delivery (b*p<0.05-full dilatation vs 24 hr). At Caesarean section (C,D) a significant decline in levels of sFlt-1 by 24 hr was noted compared to those at placental delivery (NP a*p<0.05 and PE b***p<0.001, placental delivery vs 24 hr).
Figure 4.
sEndoglin levels in maternal plasma during labour (A, B) and Caesarean section (C,D).
Median and ranges for sEndoglin ng/ml. In normal pregnancy labour (A) the levels declined by 24 hr (a***p<0.001, pre-labour vs 24 hr, b**p<0.01-full dilatation vs 24 hr, and placental delivery vs 24 hr). In pre-eclampsia labour (B) a similar decline by 24 h was noted (a*p<0.05, pre-labour vs 24 hr, full dilatation vs 24 hr, and placental delivery vs 24 hr). At Caesarean section (C,D) a significant decline in levels of sEndoglin by 24 hr was noted with placental delivery in both normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia (a**p<0.01).