Serum CA125 at 11-14 weeks of gestation in women with morphologically normal ovaries

In a number of pregnant women ovarian cysts are found incidentally during t he routine first trimester scan. These cysts may pose diagnostic difficulti es, and the measurement of serum CA125 levels can be used to aid management . In this study we measured maternal serum CA125 levels in 188 women with u ncomplicated pregnancies between 11-14 weeks of gestation. All women had mo rphologically normal ovaries observed on ultrasound examination. The median serum CA125 levels were 23.4 U/mL (range 2.2-166.3 U/mL, 95% reference int erval 5.28-70.15) and did not change significantly with gestation. We concl ude that CA125 levels are increased at 11-14 weeks of gestation and cut off values which are used to assess the nature of ovarian cysts in nonpregnant women cannot be applied to pregnant women at this gestation.