Chance of live birth in the first pregnancy after referral among patients with recurrent pregnancy loss is not influenced by their relatives' reproductive history

Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2020 Jun;25(3):209-212. doi: 10.1080/13625187.2020.1755033. Epub 2020 May 21.

Abstract

Purpose: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is defined as three or more consecutive pregnancy losses and affects 1-3% of couples trying to conceive. Pregnancy loss is more common among RPL patients' siblings than in the general population. Our objective was to investigate whether first-degree relatives with pregnancy losses influenced the chance of live birth in the first pregnancy after referral among women with RPL.Materials and methods: This is a cohort study of 2138 women with RPL seen at the Danish RPL Unit at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet between January 1st 2000 and December 31st 2017 with follow-up until December 2018. Pregnancies among first-degree relatives were reported by patients at their first consultation. Chance of live birth after referral was compared by logistic regression analysis.Results: Overall, 76% of the referred women achieved a pregnancy after referral and of these, 58% delivered a live born child. Women whose mother had experienced pregnancy loss were referred at a younger age than women with no pregnancy losses among first-degree relatives (mean age 33.6 (SD 4.6) versus 34.3 (SD 4.5), p = 0.002). Pregnancy losses among first-degree relatives did not influence chance of live birth.Conclusions: Our results indicate that pregnancy losses among first-degree family members is not an important risk factor for outcome of the first pregnancy after referral among women with RPL.

Keywords: Recurrent pregnancy loss; cohort study; family history.

MeSH terms

  • Abortion, Habitual / genetics*
  • Adult
  • Databases, Factual
  • Denmark
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Live Birth / genetics*
  • Pedigree
  • Pregnancy
  • Referral and Consultation / statistics & numerical data*
  • Registries
  • Reproductive History*
  • Risk Factors