Evaluation of the protein C global assay during normal pregnancy and after assisted reproduction.
OBJECTIVE
To prospectively compare the Protein C Global assay results in a cohort of infertile women who conceived after assisted reproductive technology (ART) with results from women who conceived spontaneously.


METHODS
Sixty-four infertile women who conceived after ART and 47 fertile women who conceived spontaneously were prospectively evaluated. All women in the study and control groups had singleton pregnancies. The Protein C Global assay was performed in the two groups on four occasions: during the first, second, and third trimesters, as well as 6 weeks or later after delivery (baseline).


RESULTS
Protein C Global assay results declined gradually during pregnancy in both groups. However, basal as well as first- and second-trimester Protein C Global assay results were significantly lower in the infertile group compared with the fertile group, corresponding to 0.89+/-0.22 and 1.06+/-0.33 (P=.025), 0.79+/-0.15 and 0.87+/-0.19 (P=.036), and 0.73+/-0.10 0.79+/-0.13 (P=.012), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support the notion that infertile women conceiving singleton pregnancies after ART are a priori at an increased hypercoagulation state. Protein C Global assay levels decline gradually during pregnancy in women who conceived naturally, as well as in infertile women who conceived after ART treatment.
Younis
Johnny S
JS
From the Reproductive Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Poriya Medical Center, Tiberias; Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa; Thrombosis and Hemostasis Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
Shukha
Mervatte
M
Ben-Ami
Moshe
M
Izhaki
Ido
I
Blumenfeld
Zeev
Z
Brenner
Benjamin
B
Sarig
Galit
G
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000097:blood*; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000502:physiology; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011486:Protein C / Q000032:analysis*; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted
D011486:Protein C
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