Intrauterine development and MNSs blood groups in repeated spontaneous abortion.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the maternal MNSs genotype has an effect on the birth weight and gestation duration of the live offspring of women with repeated primary spontaneous abortion (RSA).


METHODS
The study sample consisted of 239 healthy white women who had been delivered of a live infant, and 137 women with a history of primary RSA-54 of whom had recently been delivered of a live infant and 83 who had had a spontaneous abortion. Maternal MNSs phenotypes were determined by standard serological methods, and the results were analyzed for relationships between these phenotypes and the mothers' reproductive status and the infants' birth weight and gestational age. Analysis of variance, the chi(2)-test of independence, and the Mantel-Haenszel test for linear association were performed for data analysis.


RESULTS
Infants born to mothers with the Ss genotype showed significantly lower birth weight and gestational duration compared with the infants of mothers with other genotypes. Additionally, the MNSs haplotype was found to be associated with birth weight.


CONCLUSIONS
Previous studies have shown that the MNSs system influences the gestational age of aborted fetuses in cases of RSA. The present study supports the hypothesis that this genetic factor influences intrauterine growth and development in women experiencing RSA.
Borgiani
P
P
Department of Biopathology, School of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Nicotra
M
M
Amante
A
A
Lucarini
N
N
Cosmi
E
E
Bottini
E
E
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000097:blood*; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D005865:Gestational Age; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008951:MNSs Blood-Group System / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011247:Pregnancy
D008951:MNSs Blood-Group System