Coelomic fluid leptin concentration in normal first-trimester pregnancies and missed miscarriages.

OBJECTIVE Investigation of the possible role of leptin in early pregnancy failure. METHODS Leptin concentration was measured in maternal serum, coelomic fluid and amniotic fluid from 15 singleton pregnancies with live fetuses and 7 missed miscarriages at 7-10 weeks of gestation. RESULTS In the pregnancies with live fetuses, the median leptin concentration was significantly higher in coelomic fluid (median 33.1 ng/ml) than in maternal serum (median 8.1 ng/ml) or amniotic fluid (median 0.5 ng/ml). In the pregnancies with missed miscarriage, compared to those with live fetuses, the median leptin concentration in coelomic fluid was higher (median 45.3 ng/ml), but in maternal serum it was not significantly different (median 5.5 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS The high coelomic fluid leptin concentration suggests that embryonic death may be preceded by impaired oxygenation of the placenta that stimulates production of leptin.