Progesterone receptor gene polymorphisms are not associated with preterm birth in a Hispanic population

Objective To determine whether increased frequency of mutant alleles of the progesterone receptor gene ( PGR ) was associated with preterm birth in a population of Hispanic women. Methods Placental DNA from 64 patients who had preterm births and 54 control patients was genotyped for 4 progesterone receptor gene polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism. The χ 2 test and t test were used to calculate statistical significance. Linkage disequilibrium was calculated using the Linkage Disequilibrium Analyzer program. Results The genotypic frequencies of the 4 polymorphisms were not significantly different between the study and control groups. In addition, there was complete linkage disequilibrium between V660L, H770H, and PROGINS polymorphisms, but not with + 331G/A polymorphism. Conclusions The present study suggests that polymorphisms in the progesterone receptor gene are unlikely to be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth in a Hispanic population.