ABSTRACT

Objective:

To determine whether the measurement of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels in vaginal fluid is useful for the diagnosis of premature rupture of membranes (PROM).

Material and Methods:

A total of 92 pregnant women between 24 and 40 weeks gestation participated in this study. The patients with fluid leaking from the vagina were designated Group 1, the patients with no fluid leaking from the vagina were Group 2, and those with a suspicion of fluid leaking from the vagina were classified as Group 3. Irrigating the posterior vaginal fornix with 5 mL sterile saline was used to measure β-hCG levels of the patients. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis was used to determine the cut-off value for a positive diagnosis.

Results:

The β-hCG levels of vaginal fluid were measured as 20.5±25.0 mIU/mL, 254.6±346.8 mIU/mL, and 74.3±100.8 mIU/mL in Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3, respectively. Vaginal β-hCG level was higher statistically significantly in Group 2 than Group 1 and 3 (p)

Conclusion:

The study showed that the measurement of β-hCG level in vaginal washing fluid is an efficient and easy diagnostic test for predicting the amount of fluid leaking from the vagina. However, due to the low negative predictive value of the test, it would not be convenient in daily practice.