The effect of ovulation induction on the concentration of maternal serum relaxin in twin pregnancies.

Objective: Our purpose was to determine the effects of fetal number, various ovulation induction treatments, and placental hormones on the concentration of maternal serum relaxin.
Study Design: The concentrations of relaxin, human chorionic gonadotropin, estriol, and alpha-fetoprotein were determined in blood samples drawn at 16 to 18 weeks for prenatal diagnosis in 72 singleton and 115 twin pregnancies and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple linear regression of the log-transformed data.
Results: The maternal serum concentrations of each of the four measured hormones were significantly higher in the twin pregnancies than in the singleton pregnancies: 1.4-fold for relaxin, 1.9-fold for human chorionic gonadotropin, 1.9-fold for estriol, and 2.2-fold for alpha-fetoprotein (all p < 0.01). The concentrations of each of the four hormones were significantly correlated with each of the others and with the number of fetuses (p < 0.01), except that estriol was not significantly correlated with human chorionic gonadotropin. The serum relaxin concentration in twin pregnancies after treatment with follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone (menotropins) (n = 10) was 3.3-fold that in twins resulting from spontaneous ovulation (n = 89, p < 0.01). In twins resulting from in vitro fertilization or gamete intrafallopian transfer (n = 9) the serum relaxin concentration was 2.6-fold higher than in twins resulting from spontaneous ovulation (p < 0.01). The effect of clomiphene citrate (1.2-fold, n = 7) failed to reach statistical significance.
Conclusions: The second fetus causes a 1.4-fold increase in the concentration of maternal serum relaxin in twin pregnancies. Induction of ovulation with menotropins causes an additional 3.3-fold increase, whereas in vitro fertilization or gamete intrafallopian transfer treatment causes an additional 2.6-fold increase over that seen in twin pregnancies that followed spontaneous ovulation.