[Prospective hemorheological study in the third pregnancy trimester]

The prospective hemorheological study was performed in the third trimester of pregnancy. Whole blood viscosity, haematocrit, plasma viscosity and haemoglobin were measured. They did not find significant changes of these parameters in healthy pregnancy. The rheological parameters in the macrosomic group (75%) were same than in the normal group at 37th weeks, but later were significantly higher. Higher blood viscosity has been found in those pregnant women, who delivered retarded fetuses. They suggest, that the progressively increasing blood viscosity in the third trimester of pregnancy causes the disturbances in the intervillous microcirculation, and produces intrauterine growth retardation.