Adenohypophyseal function in children aged under 1 born to mothers in whom pregnancy was induced

Abstract

A total of 143 children born to mothers who suffered from various forms of endocrine sterility and in whom pregnancy was induced were examined. The levels of somatotropic hormone, prolactin, luteotropic hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone were measured in the blood on days 1, 3, 6 of life and at the age of 3, 6, and 12 months. The hormones were radioimmunoassayed and measured by imnmnofluorescent methods. The results indicate marked disorders of the adenohypophyseal function in these children, these disorders persisting through the first year of life. The most evident shifts of hormonal parameters are observed in children born to mothers with primary disorders of ovarian hormonal function, particularly so in cases with the polycystic ovaries syndrome, and in children with perinatal involvement of the central nervous system. A high correlation between adenohypophyseal and peripheral gland hormone levels and the concentration of somatotropic hormone was detected.