CA-125 CONCENTRATIONS IN THE SERUM AND PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN IVF CYCLES

Purpose: CA-125 has been proposed as a potential marker for endometria l receptivity in assisted reproduction. This study was designed to eva luate whether the levels of CA-125 in the serum of patients undergoing IVF-embryo transfer (ET) is correlated with the outcome. Methods: Lev els of serum CA-125 were measured on the day before and on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration, ovum pickup (OPU), and ET in 74 patients undergoing 100 IVF cycles between January 1994 a nd March 1995. Patients were treated with a midluteal phase gonadotrop in-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist protocol and follicular-phase huma n menopausal gonadotropin. Results: One hundred oocyte retrievals resu lted in 91 ETs, and 22 clinical pregnancies (22%/OPU and 24.2%/ET). Th e live-born rate was 21%/OPU and 23.1%/ET. Neither the CA-125 serum le vels nor their increase from the day of hCG until the day of ET showed any prognostic significance to the outcome of IVF, and they were not correlated with the endometrium thickness or the number of oocytes ret rieved or fertilized. Conclusions: The CA-125 serum levels in conventi onal IVF cycles were not correlated with the IVF outcome and yielded n o prognostic information in a GnRH agonist down-regulation protocol.