CORRELATION OF SERUM AND COLLICULAR FLUID CONCENTRATIONS OF PLACENTALPROTEIN-14 AND CA-125 IN IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION-EMBRYO TRANSFER PATIENTS

Objective: To study serum and follicular fluid (FF) concentrations of placental protein 14 (PP14) and CA-125 in patients participating in an IVF-ET program.Design: Determination in serum and FF on the day of hC G administration, day of oocyte retrieval, and on ET day of PP14 and C A-125. Setting: Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Athens; Euromedica IVF Unit; and Hellenic Pasteur Instit ute. Patients: Thirty-three patients undergoing NF-ET divided in three groups: 8 with conception, 18 with fertilized oocytes but no concepti on, and 7 without fertilized oocytes. Interventions: All patients unde rwent an ovarian stimulation with a short protocol of GnRH analogue-pu re-FSH-hMG. Three blood probes were collected from each patient, on th e day of hCG administration, on retrieval day, and on ET day, respecti vely, whereas FF was collected on retrieval day. Main Outcome Measures : Determination in serum and FF of CA-125 and PP14. Results: On the da y of oocyte retrieval, both mean values of serum PP14 and CA-125 were significantly higher in conceptional than nonconceptional cycles. On t he day of ET, the mean values of serum PP14 increased significantly in conceptional cycles whereas CA-125 showed no difference. The mean con centration of PP14 in FF was significantly higher in conceptional cycl es whereas there was no significant change in the mean concentration o f FF CA-125. Conclusions: In conceptional cycles after IVF, PP14 incre ases in serum significantly from hCG day to ET day compared with nonco nceptional cycles, whereas CA-125 increases from hCG day to oocyte ret rieval day and decreases on ET day. In FF, PP14 was increased in conce ptional cycles, whereas CA-125 in FF showed no change.