Studies on serum CA125 levels in pregnant women

To confirm the change in serum CA 125 levels in cases of pregnancy, we measured serum CA 125 levels in 234 normal pregnant women, 40 postpartum women and 14 abnormal pregnant women (12 of IUFD and 2 of H. mole), using an RIA kit. The mean CA 125 level (+/- S.D.) and positive ratio (greater than 34U/ml) for pregnant women at 4-11 weeks of gestation were 65.0 +/- 77.3 U/ml and 64.6%, respectively, being the highest values in all the groups. On the contrary, those for pregnant women at 12-23 weeks of gestation were 22.3 +/- 10.6 U/ml and 12.7%, respectively, the lowest in all gestational groups. Changes in serum CA 125 levels in normal pregnant women showed a trend toward decrease, as gestation advanced. But the CA 125 levels for women at postpartum showed a slight trend toward increase. The mean CA 125 level (+/- S.D.) for 12 patients with IUFD was 392.5 +/- 275.8 U/ml and that for 2 patients with H. mole was 65.0 +/- 15.0 U/ml. Serum CA 125 levels for patients with IUFD were higher than that in cases of normal pregnancy. When utilizing CA 125 as a marker for ovarian cancer, the influence of pregnancy must be considered. And it indicates that CA 125 can be used as an aid to the diagnosis of IUFD in serous cases.