Okeke Chukubike U
Federal University of Technology, Nigeria
Title: The effects of HIV infection on pregnancy hormones within 28 weeks of pregnancy
Biography
Biography: Okeke Chukubike U
Abstract
Background: Pregnancy in HIV-positive women might be associated with at least small increases in risk of adverse maternal outcomes, and these are spontaneous abortion, still birth, foetal abnormality, perinatal mortality, low birth weight, pre-term delivery. These adverse eff ects might be as a result of endocrine abnormalities in HIV patients. This study was carried out to investigate the possible changes in pregnancy hormones of the HIV infected women within the few weeks of pregnancy prior to antiretroviral therapy. Materials & Methods: A total of 120 pregnant women with 28 weeks of pregnancy participated in the study. 60 of them were HIV seropositive, while the rest 60 were HIV sero positive were not or had not commenced antiretroviral therapy before the sample collection. Their serum prolactin, estrodiol, progesterone, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, was estimated using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay method. Result: It was observed that prolactin and estradiol levels of non-infected pregnant women were signifi cantly higher (p<0.05) than the seropositive pregnant women. The human chorionic gonadotropin and progesterone of the two groups showed no signifi cant change (p>0.05). Conclusion: HIV infection has no eff ect on human chorionic gonadotropin and progesterone but has reducing eff ect on estradiol and prolactin production/metabolism in infected pregnant women. Th is eff ect may aff ect development of the foetus or breast milk production in these women if commencement of antiretroviral therapy is delayed.