The relationship between serum prolactin concentration and pregnancy outcome in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage

Abstract

The role of prolactin in early pregnancy is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum prolactin concentration and the risk of miscarriage in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage (RM). A series of 174 women with unexplained RM, who had serum prolactin concentrations measured from January 2000 to September 2009 at the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic in Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, were included in this study. Among the 174 patients with unexplained RM, 40 patients did not conceive during the study period, 9 were lost to follow-up and 125 patients conceived again. Patients who did not conceive were significantly older than those who conceived (p < 0.05, OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03–1.13). Among those who conceived again, the pregnancy outcome data were available for analysis in 109 patients. Those who miscarried were older (p < 0.05, OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.01–1.22) and had significantly lower serum prolactin concentrations (p < 0.05, adjusted OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99) after adjustment has been made for age, than those who had a live birth. Lower basal serum prolactin concentrations were associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in a subsequent pregnancy in women with unexplained RM.

Keywords::

• Pregnancy outcome
• prolactin
• recurrent miscarriage

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the staff nurses Barbara Anistie and Kath Wood at the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic in the Jessop Wing for Women of Royal Hallamshire Hospital, for their contributions in the data collection and their moral support in this study.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.