Serum levels of free fatty acids in the first trimester of pregnancy: effect of acetylsalicylic acid.
The serum levels of free fatty acids were determined before and after an oral dose of 1000 mg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) during the 7-11th weeks of pregnancy in 11 women admitted to hospital for legal abortion and in 8 women admitted for operative (hysterectomy) treatment because of fibroids. Thirteen healthy women of reproductive age served as controls. The levels of linoleic, alpha-linolenic, myristic, oleic, palmitic and palmitoleic acids were significantly lower in pregnant women than in the hysterectomy group. The level of arachidonic acid was higher in the pregnant and hysterectomy groups than in controls. Serum free fatty acids had a negative correlation with the duration of pregnancy. ASA treatment tended to increase the levels of many fatty acids in serum. Serum arachidonic acid levels after ASA treatment correlated significantly with the salicylate concentrations in myometrium and the levels of most other fatty acids with the salicylate concentration in endometrium.