Although oestriol measurements are well established for the assessment of ‘at risk’ pregnancies, there are a number of other oestrogens, excreted during pregnancy, which contain additional hydroxyl groups and might be more sensitive indicators of the condition of mother or fetus. Some of these result from the action of hydroxylases possibly present only in the fetus and others from maternal hydroxylations. We review the evidence for the biosynthesis of these polar oestrogens, summarise methods of measurement, and compare values obtained in normal and pathological pregnancies. There is as yet insufficient evidence to enable their potential value to be confirmed.
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