title: Effects of early pregnancy loss on hormone levels in the subsequent menstrual cycle.
abstract: Previous studies of hormone patterns after clinical miscarriage suggest reduced pituitary function. Hormonal effects of very early pregnancy loss (before 6 weeks gestation) have not been described. We used within-woman differences between menstrual cycles in urinary hormone measurements from women in the North Carolina Early Pregnancy Study to describe hormonal changes after very early pregnancy loss (n = 28 early losses; 80 non-conception comparison cycles). We found lower pre-ovulatory luteinising hormone and shorter luteal phase length after very early pregnancy loss, but the differences were non-significant (p > 0.3) and smaller than those reported in the spontaneous miscarriage literature. Consistent with the reduced pituitary function reported post-spontaneous miscarriage, we found a slower rate of oestrogen rise (p = 0.08). There was no evidence of lower mid-luteal steroid levels as has been suggested for post-spontaneous miscarriage cycles. Very early pregnancy losses do not appear to influence subsequent menstrual cycles to the same degree as spontaneous miscarriages.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. jukica@niehs.nih.gov
authors.forename: Anne Marie Z
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jukic
authors.forename: Clarice R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Allen J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.forename: Donna D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000652:urine*; D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000652:urine*; D004970:Estrone / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000652:urine*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000652:urine*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011276:Pregnanediol / Q000652:urine*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D004970:Estrone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D011276:Pregnanediol