Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
CA-125 is a glycoprotein, its origin is uncertain during pregnancy. It rises during the first trimester and
returns to a non-pregnancy range in late pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE:
To compare CA-125 levels between tubal ectopic and normal intrauterine pregnancy, and to find it’s
usefulness in differentiating intact from ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy.
METHODS:
This prospective case-control study was carried out on sixty healthy women with single normal
intrauterine pregnancy (NIUP) of 6-10 weeks gestation and sixty women with tubal ectopic pregnancy
of same gestational age which were further subdivided into twenty-five women with ruptured tubal
ectopic pregnancy (REP) and thirty-five women with unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy (UREP). The
levels of CA-125 were compared between these groups.
RESULTS:
The mean level of CA-125 in ruptured ectopic pregnancy group was 49.04±33.63 IU/ml and in
unruptured ectopic pregnancy group was 24.3±16.89 IU/ml. The mean level of CA-125 in normal
pregnant women (control group) was 53.95±31.2 IU/ml. There was a statistically significant difference
between mean serum CA-125 levels of ruptured ectopic pregnancy and unruptured ectopic pregnancy
group (p< 0.05), also there was a statistically significant difference between mean of CA-125 level of
unruptured ectopic pregnancy group and control group (p <0.05), while there was no statistically
significant difference between ruptured ectopic pregnancy group and control group (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
CA-125 level is significantly elevated in ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy than the intact tubal ectopic
pregnancy, this increase in CA-125 levels can be used as additional test to identify tubal rupture