IGF-I and IGF-binding protein-1 are related to cortisol in human cord blood

Abstract

Cortisol might be a physiological regulator of fetal growth, at least in the last part of pregnancy, by modulating IGF-I and IGFBP-1 release under conditions of fetal stress. In IUGR children, a rearrangement of this growth control mechanism seems to occur. The close inverse relationship of cortisol with linear growth, if confirmed by large-scale studies, suggests cord blood cortisol to be potentially predictive of early postnatal catch-up growth in IUGR infants.