Thrombophilia is not associated with an increase in placental abnormalities in women with intra-uterine fetal death.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate whether women with thrombophilia and intrauterine fetal death have a higher incidence of placental lesions as compared with those without thrombophilia.


METHODS
In a case-control study comprising 50 women with an obstetrical history of intrauterine fetal death, placental histology comparison was made between those with thrombophilia and those without thrombophilia.


RESULTS
Of the women who had an intrauterine fetal death, eight (16%) had a thrombophilia factor. There were no differences in birth weight, gestational age and parity or in placental volume and weight between the eight women with and the 42 women without thrombophilia. There was no statistically significant difference between placentas of the women with and those without thrombophilia.


CONCLUSIONS
In a group of women who had an obstetrical history of intrauterine fetal death, those with thrombophilia do not have a difference in placental histological lesions compared with the women without a thrombophilia factor. Future thrombophilia research should be focused on placental bed specimens.
Morssink
Leonard P
LP
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Center Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. l.p.morssink@wanadoo.nl
Santema
Job G
JG
Willemse
Feike
F
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000097:blood / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D010298:Parity; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*