Water and lipide shifts in pregnancy.

The bearing of young by mammals is considered a normal biological process. Pregnancy once established, however, proceeds with little regard for the life of the mother. Indeed, marked disease states may be present and progressing without the production of abortion. In this respect, namely, that the fetus matures with little regard for the life of the mother, the growth of a fetus in a host is similar to the growth of a tumor in a host. Nevertheless, most fetuses grow and mature in the host with no detrimental effect on the well-being of the mother. This is in sharp contrast to tumor growths, most of which ultimately lead to the death of the host. Changes in the weight, and levels of water and lipides in the organs and tissues of the albino rat bearing Walker carcinosarcoma 256, have been established (5). The present study was performed to see if water and lipide levels in fetal and placental tissues were similar to those in the Walker tumor. The weight and the water and lipide levels were then determined in the spleen, diaphragm, and carcass of the pregnant albino rat, and changes were compared with those previously found in these tissues of the tumor-bearing rat.