Endocrine assessments of fetal-placental well-being

Continued advances in perinatology and neonatology and the introduction of biochemical and biophysical methods for evaluating pregnancy have substantially improved the perinatal outcome. Biochemical evaluation of placental function appears to play an important role in the management of complications of early and late pregnancy. Improvements in methodology and increased experience in the application of the various techniques have enhanced our ability to diagnose normal and abnormal pregnancy. The various new placental proteins recently described have not yet found their place in modern obstetrics and thus far they do not seem to offer distinct advantage over more established methods for assessing fetoplacental function.