Increased resistance to activated protein C and factor V Leiden in recurrent abortions. Review of other hypercoagulability factors.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate hereditary and acquired hemostatic abnormalities associated with recurrent spontaneous early (first-trimester) abortions.

METHOD: A group of 56 Greek women with two or more unexplained primary spontaneous abortions, and a reference group of 148 women without a history of recurrent abortions, were screened for hypercoagulability. A randomly selected population of first-trimester pregnant women was also chosen for factor V Leiden genetic screening.

RESULTS

A total of 21% of the women with recurrent abortions, compared with 12% of the reference group, showed increased activated protein C resistance. Fourteen per cent had positive lupus anticoagulant, compared with 11.5% of the reference group. For the rest of the parameters, there was no difference between the two groups. Of 22 women studied for factor V Leiden, one was homozygous and one was heterozygous. Results were compared using Fisher's exact test and two-tailed Student's t tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased activated protein C resistance appears to be an important factor in women with recurrent abortions. These data indicate the need for routine investigation of activated protein C resistance in women with recurrent abortions.