CORRELATION OF ESTRIOL EXCRETION PATTERNS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CHILDREN

This paper is the first of a series concerning the follow-up of children born of pregnancies during which the maternal urinary estriol excretion has been studied. Four groups of children are presented: offspring of mothers with (1) normal urinary estriol excretion, (2) sometimes abnormally low estriol excretion but normal just before delivery, (3) declining urinary estriol, and (4) chronically low estriol. These 34 children were 1 to 7 years of age at follow-up. Growth parameters and developmental progress were measured. Developmental and intelligence tests used were the Denver Developmental Test, Slosson Intelligence Test, the Vineland Social Maturity Scale, and the Bender Gestalt Test of Visual Motor Perception. Results of these tests are shown in relation to the urinary estriol excretion patterns, the maternal pregnancy complications, infant neonatal course, and socioeconomic status. The study reveals that low estriol excretion before delivery is compatible with infant development and intelligence in the normal range. © 1969.