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The Use of Gas Chromatography to Analyze Compositional Changes of Fatty Acids in Rat Liver Tissue during Pregnancy
11:08

The Use of Gas Chromatography to Analyze Compositional Changes of Fatty Acids in Rat Liver Tissue during Pregnancy

Published on: March 13, 2014

Pregnancy and the liver

Misha Moore1, Catherine Nelson-Piercy

  • 1Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Homerton University Hospital, London.

British Journal of Hospital Medicine (London, England : 2005)
|November 16, 2011
PubMed

In pregnancy the liver can be affected by diseases specific to pregnancy as well as unrelated conditions. The possible effect of the disease and its management on both the fetus and mother must be considered. Several physiological changes occur during pregnancy as liver metabolism is altered. Serum protein concentrations fall, with a decrease in serum albumin in part the result of the dilutional effect of an increase in plasma volume. Alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels decrease (Table 1), complicating the diagnosis of disorders involving subtle changes in liver function. Alkaline phosphatase is also produced by the placenta, making this an unreliable marker of liver dysfunction in pregnancy.

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