Predictive Value of Cervicovaginal Secretions Beta-HCG Level in Preterm Labor

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Assistant professor of General Surgery, Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

3 M.Sc. of Statistics, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

4 M.D, Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Preterm labor affects the new born exuberance in multiple aspects such as increasing the risk of very low birth weight infants, intrapartum hypoxia and birth trauma, the sequelae of intrauterine growth retardation, respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis, intracranial hemorrhage and septicemia. So prevention of preterm labor can be effective in decreasing of these complications. Our study focused on the cervicovaginal levels of Beta-HCG in order to determine its predictive value in preterm labor.
Methods: In this case-control study, we determined the Beta-HCG concentration in the cervicovaginal secretions of 87 pregnant women of whom 55 had preterm labor in their medical history (cases) and 32 of them didn’t have such medical history (controls) since 2006 to 2008 in 22 Bahman hospital affiliated to Islamic Azad university in Mashhad. After explaining the procedure and the potential benefits of the study, we obtained cervicovaginal samples at 28, 30,32,34,36 weeks of gestation and labor time for measuring the Beta-HCG by ELIZA test. The data were analysed by statistical program of SPSS version 15, first the data were checked by Glumogroff and Smearnoff tests for being normal, then t-test and nonparametrical tests like mean whitney were used for normal and abnormal cases, respectively. Significance level of the tests was considered less than 0/05.
Results: Among the 55 pregnant women (cases), 12(21.9%) had preterm labor however none of the other 32 pregnants with no past history of preterm labor (controls) had preterm delivery (0/0%). The mean maternal age in this study was 24/55±5/57. In all, the median concentration of Beta-HCG in cervicovaginal secretions of the women at high risk of preterm labor (81.067mIU/ml) showed no statistically significant difference with that control normal risk group pregnant women (78.872mIU/ml and p>0/05). But there was statistically significant difference between the 12 high risk women who had preterm labor (92.098 mIU/ml) and the remaining 43 high risk women who had normal labor (75.492mIU/ml) in 28,30,32 and 34 weeks of gestation (p>0/05).
 
Conclusion: Cervicovaginal Beta-HCG concentration is a good predictor of preterm delivery in patients with high risk of preterm labor.

Keywords

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