Objective: To investigate whether the maternal serum concentration of human placental growth hormone (PGH) at 11-13 weeks' gestation is altered in pregnancies that deliver small for gestational age (SGA) neonates.
Methods: Maternal serum concentration of PGH was measured in 60 cases that subsequently delivered SGA neonates in the absence of preeclampsia and compared to 120 non-SGA controls.
Results: In the SGA group, compared to the non-SGA group, there was no significant difference in the median PGH MoM (0.95 MoM, IQR 0.60-1.30 vs. 1.00 MoM, IQR 0.70-1.30, p = 0.97). There was no significant association between PGH MoM and birth weight percentile in either the SGA (p = 0.72) or in the non-SGA group (p = 0.63).
Conclusion: Maternal serum PGH at 11-13 weeks' gestation is unlikely to be a useful biochemical marker for early prediction of SGA.