A new study from Israel found that taking aspirin may help prevent miscarriage. The researchers at Sheba Medical Center wanted to test the hypothesis that blood clots forming in the placental vessels may be responsible for a percentage of recurrent miscarriages.
Aspirin acts on metabolic processes in the body to reduce clotting via platelets. It is generally recommended to prevent heart attack in individuals with known risk factors for thrombosis, which can also cause strokes.
In the study 104 women with recurrent miscarriages were randomized to recieve daily aspirin or enoxaparin, a form of heparin. Pregnancy outcome and complications in both the mother and newborn were taken into consideration.
The results were published in the August issue of Fertility and Sterility.
The results were positive. The live birth rate was 81 percent in both groups. There were few late complications during the pregnancy, and both treatments were deemed safe for women with recurrent miscarriages.
The researchers were satisfied with the outcome of this preliminary study because the usual live birth rates for women with recurrent miscarriage, defined by more than three losses, is usually not above 60 percent, and more regularly around 40 percent.
They concluded that both aspirin and enoxaparin are safe, though aspirin may be more accessible for women and does not require a prescription. The study did not determine if thrombosis was the leading factor in the subjects past miscarriages, nor did it assess for hemostatic changes.
This study will most likely be followed by larger clinical trials that also assess clotting factors and also use a control group, which was absent for this study.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on September 22, 2006 12:10 PM
