Maternal serum CA 125 levels in first trimester abortion.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the source of maternal serum CA 125 during the first trimester of pregnancy.


METHODS
CA 125 was measured in stored samples from nonviable pregnancies of 8-13 weeks gestation. The study group comprised 19 women with vaginal bleeding and 13 non-bleeders. Only patients in whom chromosome analysis of the products of conception demonstrated a normal caryotype were included. CA 125 levels were expressed in multiples of the median (MoM) for normal pregnancies of the same gestational age.


RESULTS
Median MoM values of CA 125 were significantly higher in women with vaginal bleeding (1.81 MoM) as compared both to non-bleeders (0.82 MoM; p < 0.01-Mann-Whitney U-test) and to the normal pregnancies (1.01 MoM; p < 0.05). No significant difference was found between non-bleeding women and controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study indicates that in non-viable pregnancies with euploid fetuses an increase in maternal serum CA 125 levels was found only in presence of decidual disruption associated to vaginal bleeding. These findings are compatible with a prevalent decidual source of this antigen.
Noci
I
I
Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Florence, Italy.
Biagiotti
R
R
Periti
E
E
Baronci
D
D
Torricelli
F
F
Cefalà
L
L
Branconi
F
F
Borri
P
P
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D003656:Decidua / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D014592:Uterine Hemorrhage
D018394:CA-125 Antigen