Leptin level in pregnant mothers at term and cord blood and the effect of newborns gender

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the leptin level in healthy pregnant mothers at term and in their newborns and its relationship to their body mass index (BMI) and gender of the newborn.

METHODS: The leptin level was measured in serum of 187 pregnant women at term delivering at the King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in July 2001 and their newborns. Correlation studies were made between leptin level and their growth parameters, and gender of the newborns.

RESULTS: Leptin level of the mothers was significantly higher compared to their newborns. There was a significant correlation between leptin level in the pregnant women and their weight, BMI, and the newborns leptin level and weight, but not their height or BMI. A statistically significant difference was found between male and female newborns plasma leptin level. A significant correlation was found between male newborns leptin level and all their growth parameters, while in the female newborns there was no correlation between their leptin level and BMI.

CONCLUSION: Leptin plays an important role in providing a growth promoting signal during pregnancy, but the fat mass does not seem to be the most important predictor of cord leptin level.