Investigation of serum prostate-specific antigen levels in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus; a cross-sectional, case-control study

Aims: While many studies are showing that low serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are associated with the development of diabetes in male subjects, serum PSA levels in women with diabetes have not yet been investigated. Based on this information, we aimed to investigate serum PSA levels in pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: This cross-sectional, case-control study was conducted with 88 pregnant women aged between 18 and 39 who applied to Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Istanbul, Turkey, between May 2023 and September 2023. While the GDM group consisted of 44 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, the control group consisted of 44 healthy pregnant women with normal 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results. Both groups were compared in terms of serum PSA levels. Results: GDM and control groups were similar in terms of demographic features (p > 0.005). The gestational week and BMI at blood sampling for serum PSA level were similar in the two groups (p=0.801, p = 0.383, respectively). The median serum PSA level was found to be 1.22 ng/ml in the GDM group, while it was determined as 1.36 ng/ml in the control group (p=0.155) Conclusion: The serum PSA level was lower in the GDM group than in the non-GDM group, yet this difference was not significant. Although the number of participants is too small to draw a definitive conclusion, serum PSA does not appear to be involved in the pathophysiology of GDM.