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Cancer Causes & Control
Published in: Cancer Causes & Control 5/2010

01-05-2010 | Original paper

Maternal hormones during early pregnancy: a cross-sectional study

Authors: Tianhui Chen, Eva Lundin, Kjell Grankvist, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Marianne Wulff, Yelena Afanasyeva, Helena Schock, Robert Johansson, Per Lenner, Goran Hallmans, Goran Wadell, Paolo Toniolo, Annekatrin Lukanova

Published in: Cancer Causes & Control | Issue 5/2010

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Abstract

Background

Little is known about correlates of first-trimester pregnancy hormones as in most studies maternal hormones have been measured later in gestation. We examined the associations of maternal characteristics and child sex with first-trimester maternal concentrations of four hormones implicated in breast cancer: human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), α-fetoprotein (AFP), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, and IGF-II.

Methods

About 338 serum samples donated to the Northern Sweden Maternity Cohort (NSMC), 1975–2001, during the first trimester of uncomplicated pregnancies, were analyzed for the hormones of interest as a part of a case–control study. The associations of maternal characteristics and child sex with hormone concentrations were investigated by correlation, general linear regression, and multivariate regression models.

Results

In the first trimester, greater maternal age was inversely correlated with IGF-I and IGF-II. In comparison with women carrying their first child, already parous women had higher IGF-I but lower hCG. Greater maternal weight and smoking were inversely correlated with hCG. No differences in hormone levels by child sex were observed.

Conclusions

Our analyses indicated that potentially modifiable maternal characteristics (maternal weight and smoking) influence first-trimester pregnancy maternal hormone concentrations.
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Metadata
Title
Maternal hormones during early pregnancy: a cross-sectional study
Authors
Tianhui Chen
Eva Lundin
Kjell Grankvist
Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte
Marianne Wulff
Yelena Afanasyeva
Helena Schock
Robert Johansson
Per Lenner
Goran Hallmans
Goran Wadell
Paolo Toniolo
Annekatrin Lukanova
Publication date
01-05-2010
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Cancer Causes & Control / Issue 5/2010
Print ISSN: 0957-5243
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7225
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9500-2

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