Immunoreactive prostacyclin and thromboxane metabolites in normal pregnancy and the puerperium

Prostacyclin and thromboxane have been implicated in the pathophysiology of several disorders of pregnancy, but there is little information on concentrations of these prostaglandins in normal pregnancy. The aim of our study was to determine the range of values throughout normal pregnancy and the puerperium and to compare this with concentrations in normal non-pregnant women. Measurement was by radioimmunoassay of prostacyclin and thromboxane metabolites. We observed a significant difference in prostacyclin metabolites in the first trimester, (mean 19.9, SEM 0.96 pg/ml) compared with the normal non-pregnant group (mean 15.9, SEM 0.68 pg/ml). There were no significant differences between values in the normal non-pregnant group and those in the second and third trimester or postnatally. The increase in prostacyclin in the first trimester may be associated with placentation and physiological vasodilation, and insensitivity to angiotensin II seen in early pregnancy. We noted a significant reduction in thromboxane metabolites in the second (mean 133, SEM 14.9 pg/ml) and third (mean 123, SEM 10.7 pg/ml) trimesters and the puerperium (mean 119, SEM 6.3 pg/ml) compared with the values in the normal non-pregnant group (mean 142, SEM 4.9 pg/ml). This may be due to increased platelet stability or decreased thromboxane synthesis.