Maternal serum FDP and circulating fetal red cells throughout pregnancy. A longitudinal study.

The presence of fetal red cells in the maternal circulation and the serum FDP content of 73 women was followed serially throughout a normal pregnancy. There was a signigicant increase in the mean serum FDP levels in late pregnancy, which was due to episodic elevations occurring in approximately 65% of women. These transient elevations appeared to increase in frequency and severity as pregnancy progressed. There was also an increase in the number of occasions fetal red cells were detected in the maternal circulation in the later months of pregnancy, but his phenomenon did not appear to be associated in any way to the serum FDP elevations. It is concluded that the episodic rises in serum FDP occurring in normal pregnancy are not related to episodes of occult disseminated intravascular coagulation secondary to placental haemorrhage as was previously hypothesized. Their etiology and clinical significance remain unknown.