Hormonal changes causing rhinitis in pregnancy among Malaysian women.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the aetiology of rhinitis occurring in pregnancy, by (1) describing the relationship between pregnancy rhinitis and serum oestrogen, progesterone, placental growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor, and (2) assessing the prevalence of pregnancy rhinitis among Malaysian women. METHODS Prospective study involving 30 pregnant women followed at an ante-natal clinic for 14 months. Hormone levels were analysed during pregnancy and the post-partum period. RESULTS Levels of all four hormones were elevated in the third trimester, compared with first trimester and postpartum values. Rhinitis patients had higher levels of oestrogen and insulin-like growth factor 1 in the third trimester than non-rhinitis patients, although these differences were not statistically significant. The prevalence of rhinitis was 53.3 per cent, with most cases occurring in the third trimester. Patients with pregnancy rhinitis had a higher prevalence of female babies, compared with non-rhinitis patients (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy rhinitis was significantly more common in women giving birth to female babies. Women with pregnancy rhinitis had a non-significant elevation in oestrogen and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels, compared with those without rhinitis.