Urinary Oestriol Excretion in Pregnancies Complicated by Proteinuria

Abstract

Summary 1. Oestriol excretion was studied in 147 patients with proteinuria in pregnancy. In the group as a whole the incidence of low oestriol excretion was 39.4% and the perinatal mortality rate was 1.5%. When the oestriol excretion was normal the perinatal mortality rate was 3.4% compared with 31.7% when the values were low. 2. Oestriol excretion was low in 36 of 41 patients whose infants had intrauterine growth retardation. 3. In 22 patients with proteinuria alone the oestriol excretion was usually normal and the perinatal results favourable. 4. In 78 patients with moderate preeclampsia no perinatal deaths occurred when oestriol values were normal and the foetal death rate was 24% when oestriol excretion was low. 5. In 37 patients with severe pre‐eclampsia oestriol excretion was low in 8 of the 10 pregnancies which resulted in foetal death. 6. In 10 patients with chronic renal disease, oestriol excretion was low in 8 including the 5 pregnancies which resulted in a stillbirth.