Main findings
In this study we explored the progression of HLA-G during pregnancy and assessed the differences between sHLA-G trajectories in 23 mothers delivering SGA and 17 mothers delivering AGA. sHLA-G levels were measured at < 14 weeks, 18-20 weeks, 26-28 weeks of gestation, at delivery and postpartum i.e., 42 days to 6 months after delivery in our study population. The loess curves generated on the data reveal highest levels of sHLA-G at the start of gestation that start decreasing as pregnancy progresses and finally diminish at parturition in both cases and control pregnancies. No significant difference was observed in the sHLA-G trajectories during pregnancy in mothers delivering SGA as compared to those delivering AGA. A trend towards higher sHLA-G levels at the first trimester of pregnancy (<14weeks of gestation) was observed in mothers delivering SGA neonates as compared to those delivering AGA neonates.