Total Estriol ELISA

Estriol (also oestriol) is one of the three main
estrogens produced by the human body. It is only
produced in significant amounts during pregnancy as
it is made by the fetus. During pregnancy the
production of estriol depends on an intact maternal- placental-fetal unit. Fetal-placental production of
estriol leads to a progressive rise in maternal
circulating levels reaching a late-gestational peak
several orders of magnitude greater than non- pregnant levels. In the maternal circulation, estriol
undergoes rapid conjugation in the liver followed by
urinary excretion with a half-life of ~20 minutes.
Since normal estriol production depends on an intact
maternal-placental-fetal circulation and functional
fetal metabolism, maternal estriol levels have been
used to monitor fetal status during pregnancy,
particularly during the third trimester. DHEA is
produced by the adrenal cortex of the fetus, this is
converted to estriol by the placenta. If levels are
abnormally low in a pregnant woman, this may
indicate a problem with the development in the child.
Levels of estriol in non-pregnant women do not
change much after menopause, and levels are not
significantly different from levels in men.