Tissue oxygenation and red cell 2,3-diphsophoglycerate in normal and abnormal pregnancy

Maternal tissue oxygenation was reflected by the level of red cell, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) was measured before, during and after normal pregnancy. Following an initial fall at the beginning of pregnancy there was a significant rise in the mean level of DPG during pregnancy with an abrupt fall in the puerperium. The mean red cell DPG level in the third trimester of pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and diabetes was not statistically different from the normal but the mean value of all pregnancies in which the fetus was stillborn or growth retarded was significantly lower (p less than 0-001). The possible mechanism of the changes in normal and abnormal pregnancy is discussed and it is suggested that the measurement of red cell DPG in the third trimester of pregnancy may prove to be a useful parameter of placental oxygenation.