Exhaled Breath Volatile Organic Compounds in Pregnancy: A Pilot Study.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the volatile organic compounds (VOC)s in breath samples collected non-invasively from pregnant women during pregnancy and postpartum and compare it to non-pregnant controls.

Methods: This pilot study included 50 subjects: ten pregnant patients in their first trimester, ten in second trimester, ten in third trimester, ten in the first postpartum week, and ten non-pregnant subjects as a control. We collected exhaled breath from subjects who reported to be healthy and free of any respiratory symptoms. Clinical and demographic data were collected. The samples were analyzed for VOCs using a selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometer (SIFT-MS).

Results: The VOCs monitored were twenty-two compounds selected for their common presence in exhaled breath. During pregnancy and postpartum period, there were differences in five compounds mainly: 2-propanol, acrylonitrile, 1-nonene, 2-nonene, and hydrogen sulfide. Significant differences in VOCs were identified during each trimester compared to controls.

Conclusions: Volatile organic compounds could be measured safely and noninvasively in pregnant women. VOCs differed significantly among non-pregnant, pregnant women and postpartum period. The utilization of this novel assay to identify fetal conditions or identifying women at risk premature delivery should be further investigated in future studies.