Maternal serum levels of estradiol, progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin in ectopic pregnancy and their correlation with endometrial histologic findings.

Plasma levels of estradiol 17-beta (E2), progesterone (P) and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (b-HCG) were measured in 59 patients with ectopic pregnancy and in control patients made up of ten women with normal intrauterine pregnancies and five patients with threatened abortion. The gestational ages of the three groups were not statistically different, the means being 6.6, 6.5 and 6.7 weeks, respectively. The endometria in the patients with an ectopic pregnancy were examined histologically and the correlation with the hormonal levels was studied. Mean levels of b-HCG, E2 and P in patients with ectopic pregnancies (4,893 +/- 5,435 S.E.M. milli-international units per milliliter, 311 +/- 191 S.E.M. picograms per milliliter and 8.3 +/- 5.5 S.E.M. nanograms per milliliters, respectively) were significantly lower than those measured in normal pregnant control patients (b-HCG = 22,173 +/- 2,696 S.E.M. microunits per milliliter, p less than 0.00001; E2 = 769 +/- 81 S.E.M. picograms per milliliter, p less than 0.0001 and p = 37.8 +/- 6.1 S.E.M. nanograms per milliliter, p less than 0.0001), and in patients with threatened abortion (b-HCG = 20,310 +/- 1,688 S.E.M. milli-international units per milliliter, p less than 0.0001; E2 = 803 +/- 91 S.E.M. picograms per milliliter, p less than 0.001 and P = 29.7 +/- 2.9 S.E.M. nanograms per milliliter, p less than 0.001). Mean levels of P in ectopic pregnancies with secretory type endometria (10.4 +/- 6.0 S.E.M. nanograms per milliliter), were significantly higher than those with proliferative endometria (5.0 +/- 3.2 S.E.M. nanograms per milliliter, p less than 0.001). Data is provided not previously known, on the levels of E2 and P in ectopic pregnancy and correlation with endometrial histologic factors.