Samples of amniotic fluid, urine, and serum were collected. Only women who subsequently underwent artificial rupture of membranes following a clear medical indication were included. In a prospective cohort study, women with a term singleton pregnancy who were in labor but had intact membranes were recruited at a center in Israel over a 5-month period in 2013. To assess whether elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) concentration in amniotic fluid can indicate meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF). A method that utilizes sanitary pads and an assay for AFP quantification may be an accurate and convenient way to confirm the diagnosis of rupture of membranes.
![discharge or amniotic fluid discharge or amniotic fluid](https://imageserve.babycenter.com/7/000/353/gJgJoGOa2FK6oXSKbnofDnVMnrYEptGx_lg.jpg)
When the diagnosis of rupture of membranes is in doubt, AFP levels can assist in differentiating amniotic fluid from other bodily fluids. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis demonstrated 96.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity for distinguishing the presence of amniotic fluid from normal vaginal discharge on sanitary pads (cutoff 3.88 ng/mL, area under the curve 0.99). The same trend was seen when AFP was extracted from pads: amniotic fluid levels (19.44☑.98 ng/mL, n=52) were significantly higher than those of urine (undetectable, n=52), semen (undetectable, n=17), or normal vaginal discharge (0.53☐.16 ng/mL, n=27, P<.001). Alpha-fetoprotein concentrations were also measured from pads absorbed with normal vaginal discharge collected from 27 pregnant women.Īlpha-fetoprotein levels in amniotic fluid (245.38☒1.03 ng/mL, n=52) were significantly higher than those measured in maternal urine (0.84☐.17 ng/mL, n=52, P<.001), or semen (1.52☐.35 ng/mL, n=17, P<.001). Alpha-fetoprotein concentrations were measured directly from urine, amniotic fluid, and semen and from pads instilled with samples from these specimens. Semen specimens were collected from 17 men undergoing infertility evaluation. Urine and amniotic fluid specimens were collected from 52 pregnant women admitted for labor. To estimate whether alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) can be used to distinguish amniotic fluid absorbed in sanitary pads from other similarly absorbed substances (semen, urine, and normal vaginal discharge).Ī prospective cohort study.