Sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in serum in threatened abortion.

The binding capacity of the sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was determined by means of a new dihydrotestosterone-binding-capacity test in 73 pregnant women admitted to hospital because of vaginal bleeding between the 6th and 18th gestational week. In general, pregnancies ending in spontaneous abortion displayed lower SHBG-levels than pregnancies with a successful outcome, but a great deal of overlap in SHBG values was found between the abortive and the non-abortive cases. In the 6th to 9th weeks of pregnancy 'non-pregnant' SHBG levels were frequently found despite normal levels of oestradiol (E2) in patients continuing pregnancy until delivery. After the 9th gestational week a highly significant positive correlation was found between E2 and SHBG. The lack of correlation between these parameters before this gestational age indicates that the increased SHBG synthesis seen in pregnancy develops later than the rise in E2. Determinations of SHBG were found to be of limited value in evaluation of the prognosis is threatened abortion.