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Amniotic fluid testosterone: relationship with cortisol and gestational age.

P Sarkar¹, K Bergman, N M Fisk

¹Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK. pampasarkar@aol.com

Clinical Endocrinology

|July 20, 2007

Summary

Prenatal testosterone exposure, measured in amniotic fluid, is higher in male fetuses and correlates with cortisol levels. Amniotic fluid testosterone did not change with gestational age in the second and third trimesters.

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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

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Area of Science:

Reproductive endocrinology
Developmental biology
Prenatal programming

Background:

Prenatal testosterone exposure influences future reproductive and non-reproductive behaviors.
Prenatal stress outcomes may overlap with testosterone exposure effects.
Amniotic fluid serves as a biomarker for fetal exposure, particularly when fetal blood sampling is infrequent.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between amniotic fluid testosterone and cortisol levels.
To examine the influence of fetal gender on these hormone levels.
To assess the correlation with gestational age during the second and third trimesters.

Main Methods:

Collected paired amniotic fluid and maternal plasma samples from 264 pregnant women (15-37 weeks gestation).
Measured total testosterone and cortisol in amniotic fluid via radioimmunoassay.
Assessed maternal plasma testosterone levels concurrently.

Main Results:

Male fetuses exhibited significantly higher amniotic fluid testosterone levels than female fetuses.
No significant relationship was found between amniotic fluid testosterone and gestational age in either sex.
Amniotic fluid testosterone showed a positive correlation with amniotic fluid cortisol in both male and female fetuses.

Conclusions:

Amniotic fluid testosterone levels remained stable throughout the second and third trimesters, challenging theories of an early fetal testosterone peak.
The positive correlation between amniotic fluid cortisol and testosterone suggests a potential co-exposure or linked mechanism.
These findings highlight the complex interplay of hormones during fetal development and their potential long-term programming effects.