Fatty acid composition of plasma lipid fractions in the early puerperium

1.1. Fatty acids in the cholesterol ester and triglyceride plasma fractions of nonpregnant and puerperal subjects on the day of delivery and the 5 succeeding days were converted to their methyl esters. The latter were separated by gas liquid chromatography and the proportions of plamitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids (16:0, 16:1, 18:0, 18:1, and 18:2, respectively) in the fatty acids of the two fractions were determined.2.2. On the day of delivery the proportions of 16:0 and 18:1 in the cholesterol ester fraction were significantly higher, and that of 18:2 was significantly lower than in the nonpregnant subjects. At the same time in the triglyceride fraction the proportion of 16:0 was significantly greater, while those of 18:0 and 18:1 were lower than in nonpregnant patients. These differences resemble those reported between nonpregnant subjects and those with diabetes or arteriosclerosis who showed hyperlipidemia.3.3. During the early puerperium the patterns of fatty acids in the two fractions changed. Changes in proportion of 18:1 in the cholesterol fraction and of 16:0 in the triglyceride fraction were statistically significant.4.4. The previously reported increase from the day of delivery to the first postpartum day in plasma concentration of fatty acids in the triglyceride fraction was found to be largely due to 16:0 and 18:1. Each of the five fatty acids contributed to the decrease during the same time in level of fatty acids in the cholesterol ester fraction.