Kisspeptin as a potential biomarker throughout pregnancy

Plain-language summary

Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.

This review discusses kisspeptin, a neuropeptide family involved in puberty initiation and female fertility, as a potential biomarker throughout human pregnancy. The authors note that plasma or serum kisspeptin is mainly derived from the placenta during pregnancy and that plasma kisspeptin levels increase across pregnancy. They describe plasma kisspeptin levels as potentially useful for detecting miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), and fetal development, and suggest kisspeptin may be involved in parturition by stimulating oxytocin secretion during term pregnancy. The review highlights unresolved questions regarding the use of kisspeptin as a marker across pregnancy.