Serum follistatin-like-3 levels in the diagnosis of tubal ectopic pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: Activin is necessary for maintaining normal pregnancy; follistatin and fol- listatin-like-3 (FSTL3) are known antagonists of activin. FSTL3 also has a role in the migration and invasion of trophoblasts. We aim to measure the value of serum FSTL3 levels in the diagnosis of tubal ectopic pregnancy. Material and Methods: Seventy-six pregnant women including 39 women with sur- gically confirmed tubal ectopic pregnancy and 37 healthy, singleton controls whose gestational ages were between 5 and 8 weeks. Serum FSTL3 levels were measured in both groups through ELISA. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for the prediction of tubal ectopic pregnancy using serum FSTL3. Results: Serum FSTL3 levels were significantly lower in the ectopic pregnancy group than in controls (p