Comparison of Pregnancy Associated Plasma Protein A (PAPP-A) Levels in IVF-Induced Pregnancies and Physiological Pregnancies: A Case- Control Study

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Introduction: Infertility is an important issue in reproductive health. In the field of reproductive medicine, In vitro Fertilization (IVF) stands out as a central approach to helping infertile couples. Pregnancy-associated Plasma Protein-A (PAPP-A) levels increase progressively throughout pregnancy until delivery. Therefore, the present study aimed to conduct a detailed examination and comparison of PAPP-A levels between women who have undergone IVF treatment due to infertility and those with natural pregnancies, all of whom have been referred to the Gynecology and Infertility Clinic of Besat Hospital in 2020. Methods: The present case-control study was conducted on women with IVF-induced pregnancies and those with physiological pregnancies who have been referred to the Gynecology and Infertility Clinic of Besat Hospital in 2020. Pregnant women who did not have a complete medical record and had a history of other diseases were excluded from the study. In this study, venous blood was collected from the pregnant women, and the serum level of the PAPP-A marker was checked. This information was recorded in their medical records and then subjected to statistical analysis. Results: For this purpose, 28 pregnant women by IVF and 34 physiological pregnant women were included in the study. There was a significant relationship between the type of pregnancy (IVF and physiological pregnancy) and the serum level of PAPP-A dispersion based on the KID test, and 70.59% of pregnancies were physiological at the level of 0.5-0.9. Based on the results of the ROC curve test, the cut-off point of the serum level of PAPP-A in pregnancy caused by IVF and physiological pregnancy was 0.63. This means that in 90.91% of people whose serum level of PAPP-A was less than 0.63, the method of pregnancy was IVF. Conclusion: The results of the present study have revealed the serum level of PAPP-A to be different depending on the type of pregnancy, and it has been found to be significantly higher in pregnant women with physiological pregnancy than in pregnancy due to IVF.