Open AccessAnticoagulant therapy and pregnancy
Author(s) -
MAKINO AIKO,
SUGIURAOGASAWARA MAYUMI
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
reproductive medicine and biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.005
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1447-0578
pISSN - 1445-5781
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0578.2007.00195.x
Subject(s) - medicine , recurrent miscarriage , antiphospholipid syndrome , pregnancy , lupus anticoagulant , miscarriage , aspirin , protein s deficiency , anticoagulant , heparin , etiology , thrombophilia , obstetrics , thrombosis , genetics , biology
Low dose aspirin therapy is one of the anticoagulant treatments used during pregnancy. Anticoagulant agents may be useful for several disorders, such as recurrent miscarriage, pre‐eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and infertility. However, it is unclear whether anticoagulant therapy can increase the live birth rate in all of these cases. Recent data suggest that a low‐dose aspirin and heparin combination therapy is effective in the prevention of recurrent pregnancy loss in women with antiphospholipid syndrome. Thrombogenic diseases, for example, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, factor XII deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia, may cause pregnancy loss. The etiology of recurrent miscarriage is often unclear and may be multifactorial, with much controversy regarding diagnosis and treatment. Although 70% of recurrent pregnancy losses are unexplained, anticoagulant therapy is effective in maintaining pregnancy without antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. We conclude that a low‐dose aspirin and heparin combination therapy can be useful for unexplained cases of recurrent pregnancy loss without antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. (Reprod Med Biol 2008; 7 : 1–10)