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Early vaginal bleeding has no impact on markers used in first trimester aneuploidy screening
Author(s) -
Spencer K.,
Spencer C. E.,
Stamatopoulou A.,
Staboulidou I.,
Nicolaides K. H.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.2519
Subject(s) - vaginal bleeding , medicine , aneuploidy , obstetrics , pregnancy , gynecology , nuchal translucency , retrospective cohort study , pregnancy associated plasma protein a , first trimester , fetus , biology , biochemistry , genetics , chromosome , gene
Objective To assess the impact of early vaginal bleeding on the levels of markers used in first trimester screening for aneuploidy. Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on the free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (β‐hCG) and pregnancy associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A) levels and nuchal translucency thickness in 49 653 women with a normal singleton fetus who had first trimester combined screening for Down Syndrome in three centres. Median MoMs and the distribution of log MoMs of the two markers were compared in two groups—7470 women who self‐reported vaginal bleeding and 42 183 women who reported no vaginal bleeding at any stage prior to the screening test. Results The overall median MoM free β‐hCG and that in the bleeding and non‐bleeding group were 0.9854, 1.0012 and 0.9832, and for PAPP‐A were 1.0407, 1.0413 and 1.037. There was no significant difference between the bleeding and non‐bleeding group by median test ( p = 0.080) or by t ‐test comparing log MoMs ( p = 0.1305) for free β‐hCG and for PAPP‐A with median test ( p = 0.5071) or by t ‐test comparing log MoMs ( p = 0.1740). For delta nuchal translucency (NT) there was also no significant difference between the bleeding and non‐bleeding group ( p = 0.055). Conclusion Vaginal bleeding has little or no impact on first trimester marker levels and no correction is necessary. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.