Gene variation linked to recurrent miscarriage

Researchers in Austria have identified a gene that may contribute to the cause of recurrent unexplained miscarriages. Women who have a certain gene variation have been found to have a 60 per cent increased risk of recurrent miscarriages.

The researchers, led by Professor Clemens Tempfer from the University of Vienna School of Medicine, reported their work in the latest edition of the journal Human Reproduction. The study showed that a variation in the gene called NOS, known to be involved in the synthesising of nitric oxide and in controlling the way that blood vessels function, indicates a 1.6-fold increase of the risk of recurrent miscarriage. It is thought that if sufficient amounts of nitric oxide is not produced during pregnancy then blood vessels in the placenta might not develop properly.

105 women who had all suffered from recurrent miscarriages, described as 'three or more consecutive spontaneous terminations before 20 weeks', were compared with a control group of 91 women who were post-menopausal, had at least two children and had never knowingly miscarried a pregnancy. The women who miscarried were more likely to have the variation of the NOS gene.

Professor Tempfer believes that 'identifying a link between unexplained recurrent miscarriages and a specific variant of a gene involved in the regulation of placental function and the stability of the vascular 'environment' is going to give us further insight into this syndrome and more information about susceptible women'.