Miscarriage and infertility treatment increase pre-eclampsia risk

December 18, 2008

Repeated miscarriages and hormone treatment for infertility give an increased risk of pre-eclampsia among pregnant women. This comes from a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. More than 20 000 first-time mothers from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) were included in the study.

Normal risk

-- First-time mothers who had not miscarried or had problems getting pregnant had a 5.2 % risk of pre-eclampsia.

Risk after miscarriage

-- Women who had three or more miscarriages had a 50 % increased risk of pre-eclampsia compared with women who had not miscarried.
-- Women who had one or two miscarriages are not thought to be at higher risk.
-- Among women who had both miscarriages and treatment for infertility, the risk for pre-eclampsia was 13 %.

Risk after infertility treatment

-- The study also shows that women who had infertility treatment had a 25 % higher risk of pre-eclampsia.
-- Women who became pregnant after hormone treatment to stimulate ovulation had a doubled risk of pre-eclampsia compared to women without treatment.
-- Assisted conception treatment was not linked to an increased risk, even though hormone stimulation is part of the procedure.
-- Different causes of infertility (polycystic ovary syndrome, blocked Fallopian tubes etc.) can probably explain the difference in risk for pre-eclampsia. It is likely that factors in mothers that cause infertility may also give an increased risk of pre-eclampsia.
-- It is less likely that the treatment itself explains the increased risk, even if this cannot be excluded.

The study has been recently published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, BJOG.

Placenta important for normal development

The causes of pre-eclampsia are unknown, but involve the placenta. The placenta is important for normal development of the pregnancy. Failure in the development and function of the placenta seems to be an important mechanism in the development of pre-eclampsia but no-one knows why. The results from this study show that the protective effect seen after earlier normal pregnancies (births or terminations) is not present among women with repeated miscarriages. The study indicates that common causal factors linked to the placenta's development and function may be present in infertility, repeated miscarriages and pre-eclampsia.

Facts about pre-eclampsia

-- Affects 3-5 % of all pregnant women.
-- Greatest risk among first-time mothers.
-- Appears in second half of pregnancy
-- Recognised by high blood pressure and protein in mother's urine.
-- In mild cases the mother can be unaffected by the condition, but in serious cases, pre-eclampsia can be life-threatening for mother and baby, with organ failure and danger of seizures among mothers.
-- The child risks poor growth and development due to insufficient placenta function.
-- The only treatment is delivery of baby and placenta.
-- Pre-eclampsia is therefore an important cause of premature birth.
-- Among women who have given birth earlier, the risk is approximately halved. The same applies to women who have had earlier terminations. It is unknown why earlier normal pregnancies protect against pre-eclampsia in later pregnancies.

Paper: L Trogstad, P Magnus, A Moffett, C Stoltenberg (2008) The effect of recurrent miscarriage and infertility on the risk of pre-eclampsia. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 116 (1) : 108 - 113.

Source: Norwegian Institute of Public Health


Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV

A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created 1 hour ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor

(AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.

Medicine & Health / Health

created 3 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

FDA-approved drug rapidly clears amyloid from the brain, reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show t ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (55) | comments 21 | with audio podcast

Green tea found to reduce disability in the elderly

(Medical Xpress) -- A lot of research has been done over the past several years looking into the health benefits of green tea. As a result, scientists have found that regular consumption of the beverage leads ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (14) | comments 11 | with audio podcast report

Teen school drop-outs three times as likely to be on benefits in later life

Teen school drop-outs are almost three times as likely to be on benefits in later life as their peers who complete their schooling, indicates research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 13


Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell

Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...

Researchers find extensive RNA editing in human transcriptome

In a new study published online in Nature Biotechnology, researchers from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, reported the evidence of extensive RNA editing in a human cell line by analysis of RNA-seq data, demons ...

The proteins ensuring genome protection

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have discovered the crucial role of two proteins in developing a cell 'anti-enzyme shield'. This protection system, which operates at the level of molecular ...