Estimating fetal cholesterol synthesis rates by cord blood analysis in intrauterine growth restriction and normally grown fetuses.

Background: Cholesterol is an essential component in human development. In fetuses affected by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), fetal blood cholesterol levels are low. Whether this is the result of a reduced materno-fetal cholesterol transport, or due to low fetal de novo synthesis rates, remains a matter of debate.