title: Maternal serum Ca125 and Ca15-3 antigen levels in normal and pathological pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the value of maternal serum CA125 and CA15-3 concentrations for discriminating pathological from normal pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 120 women, in whom pregnancy outcome was pathological, i.e. spontaneous abortion, fetal death, intrauterine growth retardation, chromosomal and structural abnormalities, and (pre)eclampsia, were assessed for CA125 and CA15-3 and compared with levels found in 350 women with a normal pregnancy outcome matched for age and duration of pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternal CA125 serum values were significantly higher in the first and the third trimester of pregnancy (median 23.0 and 21.0 U/ml; p < 0.00001 and p < 0.001, respectively), compared to those in the second trimester (median 14.0 U/ml), but not significantly different from those obtained in pathological pregnancies. Maternal serum CA15-3 values were significantly higher during the third trimester (median 26.0 U/ml) compared to the first and second trimester of pregnancy (median 14.0 and 15.0 U/ml; p < 0.0001); CA15-3 serum levels in normal and pathological pregnancies showed no significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal serum levels of CA125 are higher during the first and third trimester of pregnancy. CA15-3 maternal serum levels are higher during the third trimester compared to the first and second trimester. Maternal CA125 and CA15-3 serum levels showed no relation with a pathological outcome of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Hospital Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Bon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kenemans
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Verstraeten
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Go
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Philipi
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: van Kamp
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: van Geijn
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Vugt
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000097:blood; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D018396:Mucin-1