A study of early pregnancy factor activity in the sera of patients with unexplained spontaneous abortion.

PROBLEM: Seventy-seven sera samples obtained from 51 patients (6-20 wk gestation) with unexplained spontaneous abortions including 20 threatened abortions (TA), 13 inevitable abortions (IA), and 18 intrauterine fetal growth retardation (IFGR), as well as 9 sera from 9 patients (6-20 wk gestation) with hydatidiform mole (HM), were detected for early pregnancy factor (EPF) by rosette inhibition assay. Rosette inhibition titer (RIT) was used to express EPF activity.

RESULTS

The RIT value of EPF was 5.95 +/- 0.69 (mean +/- SD) in the TA group; 4.06 +/- 0.93 in the IA group; 3.50 +/- 0.71 in the IFGR group, and 4.00 +/- 0.71 in the HM group. Except for the TA group, in which the mean RIT was in normal pregnancy range, the RIT in the other three groups was significantly lower (P < 0.01) then that of the normal pregnancy group (5.81 +/- 0.68).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that measurement of EPF is a sensitive method for judging survival of the embryo. It may be used to predict the prognosis of the patient with unexplained spontaneous abortion.