Clinical Results: Perinatal Period

Abstract

During pregnancy, the weight of the uterus increases from 50–100 g to 1,000–1,300 g [178]. Furthermore, a new organ, the placenta, grows. Uterine smooth muscle, like placental tissue, contains considerable amounts of many enzymes. One may assume that these enzymes can be released into maternal circulation during pregnancy. Hence many investigations have sought to associate such enzymes with placental functions (synopsis see [722]). Attempts have been made to eliminate the influence of other tissues by determining enzyme fractions which are found only in the placenta [373, 622]. These attempts to correlate serum enzyme levels with certain pathological states in obstetrics have not been entirely satisfactory.