Levels of CA-19.9, CA-125, and CA-195 in seminal plasma and in vitro fertilization rates.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between carbohydrate tumor markers in seminal plasma and fertilization rates in IVF cycles. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Academic tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-six consecutive couples subjected to IVF in which at least one oocyte was obtained. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Determination of CA-19.9, CA-125, and CA-195 in seminal plasma 1 week before IVF. RESULTS: CA-125 was higher in the group without fertilization (321 +/- 198 U/mL, mean +/- SD) than in the group in which at least one oocyte was fertilized (155 +/- 165 U/mL), whereas CA-19.9 and CA-195 were similar in both groups. However, at the cutoff 66%, lower values of CA-19.9 were found in the fertilization group rate < 66% (707 +/- 1,217 versus 1,069 +/- 1,084) and of CA-195 (67 +/- 44 versus 218 +/- 274). No correlation was found between tumor marker levels and fertilization rates. CONCLUSION: CA-125 seems to be an indicator of sperm fertilization capacity, whereas the importance of CA-195 and CA-19.9 will require further studies.