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Relationship between serum CA 125 levels, endometrial thickness and corpus luteum function in different stages of ovarian activity

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Abstract

CA 125 is a cell surface antigen expressed in some derivatives of celomic epithelium, predominantly in ovarian cancer cells. However, it has also been detected in serum of healthy women and in patients with benign gynecologic diseases. The exact source or sources of the circulating levels of CA 125 and their elevations are not known. In the present study, the relationship between serum CA 125 levels, ovarian steroidogenesis and endometrial thickness is investigated at different periods: 1) mid-follicular, 2) midcycle, and 3) midluteal phases in normal cycles of fertile women, in patients stimulated for intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in patients stimulated for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Only in patients with mild and moderate ovarian hyperstimulation (OHSS) of the IVF group were luteal phase CA 125 levels (149.7±24.4 U/ml) significantly higher than midfollicular (21.2±1.9 U/ml) and midcycle phase levels (24.4±2.5 U/ml) (p<0.001). The mean midcycle estradiol and midluteal progesterone concentrations in patients stimulated for IUI and IVF were significantly higher than those of normally cycling women (p<0.001). Mean endometrial thickness in patients stimulated for IVF was significantly higher than in patients stimulated for IUI and normally cycling women (p<0.001). Midluteal CA 125 levels correlated with midcycle endometrial thickness (r=0.585, p<0.05) and midluteal P levels (r=0.497, p<0.05) in patients with OHSS of IVF group. This correlation was not observed in patients who had no signs and symptoms of OHSS during stimulation for IVF and in patient stimulated for IUI and the controls. When all of the patients were included there was no correlation between midluteal CA 125 and midcycle endometrial thickness and again between midluteal CA 125 and midluteal P levels. These results suggest that the increase of CA 125 in OHSS patients could be related to a peritoneal contribution to circulating CA 125 rather than a significant involvement of corpus luteum and/or endometrium as sources of CA 125.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Womens’ Hospital, 6/9 Mamak 06620, Ankara, Turkey

    G. Özakşit, N. Ö. Turhan, H. Oral, N. Doğu & O. Gökmen

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  1. G. Özakşit
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  2. N. Ö. Turhan
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  3. H. Oral
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  4. N. Doğu
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  5. O. Gökmen
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Özakşit, G., Turhan, N.Ö., Oral, H. et al. Relationship between serum CA 125 levels, endometrial thickness and corpus luteum function in different stages of ovarian activity. J Endocrinol Invest 16, 175–179 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03344940

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