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Abstract
Maternal and umbilical venous plasma immunoreactive β-lipotropin/β-endorphin levels
were determined during labor in 23 healthy parturient women at term. Eleven of the
mothers received a segmental epidural analgesic for relief of pain, whereas the other
12 mothers were nearly pain-free and needed no analgesia. Maternal immunoreactive
β-lipotropin/β-endorphin levels were already significantly elevated at the beginning
of labor in both groups in comparison with nonpregnant young women. Maximum levels
of immunoreactive β-lipotropin/β-endorphin were reached at delivery, and these mean
levels were significantly higher than the initial mean levels in the epidural group
(p < 0.05) and in the control group (p < 0.001). There were statistically no significant
differences between the groups at any time. The umbilical venous plasma immunoreactive
β-lipotropin/β-endorphin levels did not differ from each other in the epidural and
the control groups. These results suggest that the stress of labor causes an increase
in the maternal secretion of immunoreactive β-lipotropin/β-endorphin which is not
related to the degree of pain itself. Epidural analgesia has also no effect on umbilical
venous plasma immunoreactive β-lipotropin/β-endorphin.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 8,
1983
Received in revised form:
May 5,
1983
Received:
April 23,
1982
Identification
Copyright
© 1983 Published by Elsevier Inc.
