抄録
A highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for LH-RF was developed and was used to determine the serum levels of LH-RF of women in normal menstrual cycle, pregnancy from 5 through 40 weeks and throughout 4 different stages of parturition in the same subjects.
Serum concentrations of LH-RF during pregnancy were markedly lower (4.4 ± 1.2 pg/ml), compared to those in menstrual cycle (35.6 ± 3.5 pg/ml). Among the series of 4 stages of parturition, i.e. (1) during labor, (2) im-mediately after delivery, (3) 10 minutes after placenta delivery and (4) 4 days after delivery, the mean values for LH-RF were found to be higher in the samples immediately after delivery (3.7 ± 0.9 pg/ml) and in those 10 minutes after placenta delivery (4.4 ± 0.8 pg/mi). In individual cases, how-ever, three out of 11 women showed peaks of LH-RF level at immediately after delivery and 6 out of 11 showed peaks of LH-RF level in 10 minutes after placenta delivery.
The immunoreactive LH-RF was detected in cord bloods, amniotic fluids, milks and especially large amounts in the placenta by our radioimmunoassay for LH-RF, though it is not known whether they have physiological role and identical to hypothalamic LH-RF.
