Association between prenatal androgens and cord blood androgens, a path analysis.

To determine association paths between prenatal androgens and cord blood androgens. The concentrations of T, FT, DHT, DHEA and SHBG in prenatal venous blood and cord blood were measured in 342 pregnant women and their neonates. The association paths between these hormones in prenatal and cord blood were revealed using Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression and path analysis. CB-T, CB-FT and CB-DHT in male neonates were higher than those in female neonates. In male and female neonates, P-FT was lower than CB-FT; however, P-DHT and P-SHBG were higher than CB-DHT and CB-SHBG, respectively. P-DHEA was lower than CB-DHEA in female newborns. In male neonates, there were association paths of P-T → CB-T → CB-FT → CB-DHT, P-T → CB-FT → CB-DHT, P-T → P-FT → CB-FT → CB-DHT, P-T → P-DHT, CB-DHEA → CB-DHT, CB-DHEA → P-DHT, and CB-DHEA → P-DHEA. In female neonates, there were association paths of P-T → CB-T → CB-FT → CB-DHT, P-T → P-FT → CB-FT → CB-DHT, P-T → P-FT → P-DHT, P-T → P-DHT, P-DHEA → P-DHT, CB-DHEA → P-DHEA, and CB-DHEA → CB-FT. There were differences in the T, FT and DHT concentrations in cord blood between male and female neonates and in the FT, DHT, DHEA, and SHBG concentrations between prenatal and cord blood. P-T and P-FT concentrations were positively associated with CB-T and CB-FT concentrations, while CB-DHEA concentration was positively associated with P-DHEA concentration.