Table 2.
Changes in urinary metabolites excretion and ratios across pregnancy
| Second Trimester: Median (Lower Quartile-Upper Quartile) | Third Trimester: Median (Lower Quartile-Upper Quartile) | Change Across Gestations: RGM (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urinary metabolites, mg/24 h | |||
| THF | 1043 (691-1397) | 1768 (1066-3269) | 1.88 (1.65-2.15)b |
| α-THF | 494 (331-781) | 291 (177-436) | 0.55 (0.50-0.61)b |
| THE | 2500 (1588-3579) | 2799 (1805-4222) | 1.13 (1.04-1.23)a |
| α-cortol | 586 (368-917) | 641 (455-1140) | 1.19 (1.05-1.34)a |
| β-cortol | 545 (259-947) | 849 (540-1410) | 1.65 (1.45-1.88)b |
| α-cortolone | 2420 (1589-4473) | 3685 (2371-6241) | 1.46 (1.25-1.71)b |
| β-cortolone | 632 (424-979) | 796 (574-1189) | 1.29 (1.13-1.47)b |
| F | 231 (160-315) | 272 (215-361) | 1.23 (1.13-1.35)b |
| E | 228 (171-292) | 316 (227-410) | 1.36 (1.26-1.48)b |
| Total urinary glucocorticoids | 9691 (6157-12 805) | 13 523 (8955-18 269) | 1.37 (1.22-1.52)b |
| Ratios of metabolites | |||
| 11β-HSD2 activity = F/E | 0.99 (0.78-1.28) | 0.88 (0.73-1.16) | 0.90 (0.86-0.95)b |
| 11β-HSD total activity = (THF + α-THF)/THE | 0.61 (0.52-0.85) | 0.76 (0.48-1.23) | 1.27 (1.14-1.42)b |
| Relative 5β -reductase and 5α -reductase activity = THF/α-THF | 1.78 (1.33-2.83) | 7.19 (3.64-11.74) | 3.41 (3.04-3.83)b |
| 5α -reductase activity = F/α-THF | 0.45 (0.27-0.60) | 0.98 (0.61-1.51) | 2.24 (2.00-2.50)b |
| 5β-reductase metabolism of F = F/(THF + α- cortol + β-cortol) | 0.10 (0.07-0.14) | 0.07 (0.05-0.11) | 0.72 (0.65-0.81)b |
| 5β-reductase metabolism of E = E/(THE + +α-cortolone+ β-cortolone) | 0.04 (0.02-0.06) | 0.04 (0.03-0.06) | 1.05 (0.96-1.15) |
Paired t test (2-tailed) of log-transformed urine values.
Abbreviations: E, cortisone; F, cortisol; HSD, hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; HSD2, hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2; RGM, ratio of geometric means; THE, tetrahydrocortisone; THF, 5β-tetrahydrocortisol.
a P less than .01. bP less than .001.