[Alpha feto protein. Normal pregnancies and maternal diseases. Apropos of 3,010 radioimmunologic determinations]

Using an immunological technique limits of normal levels of AFP in maternal blood have been worked out during pregnancy from a series of 3010 samples of blood. Comparing mean curves for the levels of AFP in mothers suffering from anaemia and diabetes with normal curves shows that there is a significant rise in these levels in the third trimester of pregnancy. The possible mechanisms and their relationship to the variation levels of AFP are discussed.