Potential use of C-reactive protein determinations in obstetrics and gynecology

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein synthesized by the liver during the course of a large number of diseases. During gestation and parturition, progressively increasing numbers of gravida develop elevated levels up to 32, 48 to 80 per cent, respectively). These elevations in pregnancy, the nonspecificity of the test, and the inability to function as a reliable marker of fetal and/or maternal infectious morbidity have obscured the pragmatic utility of CRP determinations in both obstetrics and gynecology. Because of its biophysical kinetics, C-reactive protein determinations are best used as a monitoring parameter after the documentation of infection rather than as a diagnostic indicator of infection. They can provide valuable end titration points for termination of parenteral antibiotic therapy.