Objective To investigate the value of early maternal serological indicators in predicting the delivery of full-term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants.

Methods The clinical data of pregnant women who delivered at Beijing Tongzhou District Maternal and Child Health Hospital from August 2023 to August 2024 were analyzed. A total of 180 pregnant women who delivered full-term SGA infants were included in case group, and 180 pregnant women who delivered full-term appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants during the same period were included in control group. The levels of serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), placenta growth factor (PLGF), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) in the first trimester(11 to 13 weeks +6 days of gestation) of the two groups were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the predictive value of early maternal serological indicators for the delivery of full-term SGA infants.

Results The levels of serum PAPP-A and PLGF in the first trimester of the case group were lower than those in the control group, while the level of sFlt-1 was higher (P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the combined detection of serum PAPP-A, PLGF, and sFlt-1 levels in the first trimester in predicting the delivery of full-term SGA infants was 0.823, which was higher than the AUCs for detection of each indicator (0.738, 0.720, 0.724) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion The detection of early maternal PAPP-A, PLGF, and sFlt-1 levels can reflect the fetal growth status in utero. The combined detection of these three indicators has a higher predictive value for the delivery of full-term SGA infants by pregnant women, which is helpful for clinicians to take intervention measures in advance.