Progesterone and 17β-Estradiol Have No Relationship with Renal Clearance of Creatinine During Normal Pregnancy and The Puerperium

This study was carried out, to determine the association between the steroid hormones concentration increase and creatinine clearance during pregnancy and to make observations on the pattern of change in renal function in the late puerperium. This study included 330 apparently healthy normotensive female subjects, made up of seventy each trimesters of pregnancy with seventy (70) women at six weeks post-partum. Fifty (50) non-pregnant women of child bearing age served as controls. Blood and urine samples were collected from each woman during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy and during the late puerperium. Serum and urine creatinine, were determined by colorimetric methods. Serum electrolyte profile was determined by Ion Selective Electrode method using automated machine, while the hormonal assays were done using Elecsys 2010 autoanalyzer. The results of both creatinine clearance and the hormonal assay showed significant increase during pregnancy. However, the correlation analysis did not reveal any significant relationship among groups. There were significant differences in the changes observed in other parameters within the trimesters and the puerperium. The increase in creatinine clearance above the normal level during the postpartum period, despite the rapid clearance of the hormones shows that renal function became more efficient, in order to clear excess fluid and electrolytes that the body accumulated during pregnancy. Therefore, the increase in progesterone and 17β-estradiol may not have direct roles in the increase in creatinine clearance during pregnancy.

Keywords
Progesterone; 17β-Estradiol; Relationship; Creatinine clearance; Normal pregnancy; Puerperium