ENDOMETRIAL PROTEIN PP14 AND CA-125 IN RECURRENT MISCARRIAGE PATIENTS- CORRELATION WITH PREGNANCY OUTCOME

The concentrations of endometrial proteins PP14 and CA-125 were measur ed in uterine flushings taken on days LH+10 and LH+12 (10 and 12 days after luteinizing hormone surge) of the menstrual cycle from 15 normal , fertile women and 49 women who suffered recurrent miscarriage. The c oncentration of PP14 was significantly lower in the flushings from the recurrent miscarriage patients than in those from fertile controls on both day LH+10 (median: 1300, range: 3-10 300 ng/ml versus median: 13 933, range: 2174-40 404 ng/ml; P < 0.01) and LH+12 (median: 1560, ran ge: 820-12 100 ng/ml versus median: 14 047, range 1402-62 108 ng/ml; P < 0.05), Similarly concentrations of CA-125 were significantly lower in flushings from recurrent miscarriage women compared to controls on both day LH + 10 (median: 1555, range: 47-6710 U/ml versus median: 638 5.5, range 2884-27 731 U/ml, P < 0.01) and LH+12 (median: 2892, range: 956-9974 U/ml versus median: 7127.5, range: 1591-21 343 U/ml; P < 0.0 5), In contrast there was no significant difference in the concentrati on of PP14 in plasma samples taken on the same days as the flushings f rom recurrent miscarriage patients and fertile controls. The concentra tions of PP14 in uterine flushings obtained on day LH + 10 or LH+12 fr om recurrent miscarriage women during a pre-pregnancy investigative cy cle were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in patients who went on to mis carry (median: 1000, range: 9-2900 ng/ml) than those who went on to ha ve a live birth (median: 1440, range: 4-12 100 ng/ml) during a subsequ ent pregnancy. In contrast there was no significant difference in uter ine CA-125 or plasma PP14 concentrations between these two groups of r ecurrent miscarriage patients. The results suggest that measurements o f uterine PP14 and CA-125 may be useful in the assessment of endometri al development in recurrent miscarriage patients and suggest the impor tance of PP14 in preparing the endometrium for embryo implantation. In addition pre-pregnancy uterine PP14 measurements may be useful in pre dicting subsequent pregnancy outcome.