Background: Pregnancy is a complex biological process and serious complications can arise when the delicate balance between the maternal and semi-allogeneic fetal immune systems is disrupted or challenged. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and low birth weight pose serious threats to maternal and fetal health. Identification of early biomarkers through an in-depth understanding of molecular mechanisms is critical for early intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), defined as two or more pregnancy losses before the 24th week of gestation, affects 1%-3% of women worldwide. Approximately, 40% of RPL cases are secondary RPL (sRPL), where women have given birth before facing pregnancy losses. The underlying causes of RPL remain unclear, but immune-related factors may play a role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects 1-2 % of all couples trying to conceive and is a challenging heterogeneous condition. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and impact of various risk factors in patients suffering from RPL. We performed a prospective cohort study including patients at the tertiary RPL Unit in the Capital Region of Denmark between 1st January 2000 and 1st January 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch Question: Are the prospective reproductive outcomes in couples experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) related to the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), as measured by sperm chromatin structure assay, sperm morphology and sperm concentration at referral?
Design: This prospective cohort study included 95 couples seen between 1 April 2018 and 1 December 2019 at the tertiary Copenhagen RPL Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet and Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark. The couples had experienced three or more unexplained consecutive pregnancy losses or two late pregnancy losses (>12 weeks gestation). Follow-up was 12-31 months.
Smoking during pregnancy is associated with negative reproductive outcome. Less is known about the impact of smoking or previous smoking in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) which this study aimed to investigate. We included all women <42 years (n=2829) referred to a RPL unit at Copenhagen University Hospital between January 2000 and December 2021 in the cohort with follow-up until June 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBleeding in early pregnancy and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) bear substantial risks, with the former closely associated with pregnancy loss and the latter being the foremost cause of maternal death, underscoring the severity of these complications in maternal-fetal health. Here, we investigated the genetic variation underlying aspects of pregnancy-associated bleeding and identified five loci associated with PPH through a meta-analysis of 21,512 cases and 259,500 controls. Functional annotation analysis indicated candidate genes, , , and / at three loci and showed that at each locus, associated variants were located within binding sites for progesterone receptors (PGR).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Pregnancy loss has been associated with myocardial infarction, stroke, and all-cause mortality in women through unknown mechanisms. The aim of this study was to examine these associations in women and their male partners. Methods and Results In this register-based cohort study, all people born between 1957 and 1997, residing in Denmark between 1977 and 2017, and with a registered partner of the opposite sex were eligible for inclusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch Question: What are the differences in menstrual blood lymphocytes between controls, patients with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and patients with unexplained infertility (uINF)?
Design: Prospective study including 46 healthy controls, 28 RPL and 11 uINF patients. A feasibility study compared lymphocyte compositions of endometrial biopsies and menstrual blood collected during the first 48 h of menstruation in seven controls. In all patients, peripheral and menstrual blood from the first and subsequent 24 h were analysed separately by flow cytometry, focusing on the main lymphocyte populations and natural killer (NK) cell subsets.
Research Question: Is anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) associated with live birth rate (LBR) in women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)?
Design: Cohort study of women with unexplained RPL attending the RPL Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, between 2015 and 2021. AMH concentration was assessed upon referral, and LBR in the next pregnancy. RPL was defined as three or more consecutive pregnancy losses.
Study Question: What are the updates for the recommended management of women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) based on the best available evidence in the literature from 2017 to 2022?
Summary Answer: The guideline development group (GDG) updated 11 existing recommendations on investigations and treatments for RPL, and how care should be organized, and added one new recommendation on adenomyosis investigation in women with RPL.
What Is Known Already: A previous ESHRE guideline on RPL was published in 2017 and needs to be updated.
Study Design Size Duration: The guideline was developed and updated according to the structured methodology for development and update of ESHRE guidelines.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to create a simple assay for microchimerism detection independent of sex and without HLA genotyping.
Methods: The method is based on detection of insertion or deletions utilizing a multiplex PCR followed by fragment analysis by capillary electrophoresis, and probe-based qPCR assays. A total of 192 samples, taken either before pregnancy, during 1st trimester, or either during 2nd trimester or at miscarriage, obtained from a cohort of 97 female patients with either primary or secondary recurrent pregnancy loss, were screened for fetal microchimerism by the indel panel as well as an existing assay based on detection of the Y-chromosome marker; DYS14.
Background: The loss of one or more pregnancies before viability (i.e. pregnancy loss or miscarriage), has been linked to an increased risk of diseases later in life such as myocardial infarction and stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The impact of early pregnancy complications on completed family size is unknown. Here, we hypothesize that early pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes may influence family size.
Material And Methods: In this nationwide, registry-based study we included all 458 475 women born 1957-1972 who lived in Denmark from age 20-45 years with at least one registered pregnancy.
Purpose: Which feelings on the major depression inventory (MDI) and the perceived stress scale (PSS) are predominant among women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)?
Materials And Methods: Prospective cohort study of women with RPL referred to the tertiary RPL Unit at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark, from 2010-2013. All women answered the MDI and PSS at time of referral.
Results: In total, 298 women completed the MDI and the PSS, of which 162 had primary RPL and 136 secondary RPL.
Research Question: Can participating in a tailored 7-week meditation and mindfulness programme with additional standard supportive care versus standard supportive care only reduce perceived stress for women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)?
Design: A two-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 12-month follow-up. In total 76 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to either standard supportive care or to a 7-week meditation and mindfulness programme led by an instructor in addition to standard supportive care.
Results: At intervention completion (after 7 weeks), perceived stress decreased significantly both in the intervention group (P = 0.
Research Question: Are women and men suffering from recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) more affected by psychological stress and depression than the general population?
Design: Cross-sectional study investigating the prevalence of stress and depression in women and men with RPL seen in the Danish national RPL Unit. Data were collected between 2015-2018. All newly referred couples were asked to complete the Major Depression Index (MDI) and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).
Study Question: Does the sequence of prior pregnancy events (pregnancy losses, live births, ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancy and still birth), obstetric complications and maternal age affect chance of live birth in the next pregnancy and are prior events predictive for the outcome?
Summary Answer: The sequence of pregnancy outcomes is significantly associated with chance of live birth; however, pregnancy history and age are insufficient to predict the outcome of an individual woman's next pregnancy.
What Is Known Already: Adverse pregnancy outcomes decrease the chance of live birth in the next pregnancy, whereas the impact of prior live births is less clear.
Study Design, Size, Duration: Nationwide, registry-based cohort study of 1 285 230 women with a total of 2 722 441 pregnancies from 1977 to 2017.
Objective: To investigate the frequency of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in parturient women, their partners, and their newborns and the association of such antibodies with obstetric and neonatal outcomes.
Methods: From April 4 to July 3, 2020, in a single university hospital in Denmark, all parturient women and their partners were invited to participate in the study, along with their newborns. Participating women and partners had a pharyngeal swab and a blood sample taken at admission; immediately after delivery, a blood sample was drawn from the umbilical cord.
Objective: To study whether low serum ferritin (s-ferritin) levels are associated with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), and whether low s-ferritin predicts the risk of another pregnancy loss or the ability to conceive.
Design: Cohort study.
Setting: Fertility clinic at a university hospital.
Introduction: Pregnancy loss is frequent. We aimed to assess the frequency and trends in pregnancy losses according to female age and mode of conception over a 40-year follow-up period.
Material And Methods: In a national historical prospective cohort study, we followed all Danish women 10-49 years over the 40-year study period 1978-2017.
Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) occurs in 1-3% of all couples trying to conceive. No consensus exists regarding when to perform testing for risk factors in couples with RPL. Some guidelines recommend testing if a patient has had two pregnancy losses whereas others advise to test after three losses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThyroid autoimmunity has been associated with pregnancy loss. Suggested mechanisms include thyroid function aberrations or an underlying breach of immunotolerance. We hypothesized that thyroid autoimmunity is a marker of the latter in women with recurrent pregnancy loss.
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