A combination therapy of low-dose aspirin and heparin significantly improves live birth rates and reduces complications in women experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) who test positive for specific self-targeting antibodies, according to a study led by Kobe University researchers. The findings, published in Frontiers in Immunology, offer a potential treatment for a subset of women with RPL who have previously had limited therapeutic options.
The research team, led by obstetrician Kenji Tanimura, analyzed blood samples from women with RPL across five hospitals in Japan over two years. They found that approximately 20% of these women had specific antibodies targeting their own bodies. Pregnant women with these antibodies were offered treatment including low-dose aspirin or heparin. The study compared pregnancy outcomes in women who received the treatment to those who did not.
The results showed a significant increase in live birth rates among women who received the aspirin or heparin treatment. Specifically, 87% of treated women had live births, compared to only 50% of untreated women. Furthermore, the treatment drastically reduced pregnancy complications from 50% to 6% among the live births.
Targeted Treatment Shows High Efficacy
Notably, women who only had the newly discovered self-targeting antibodies and received the treatment experienced even better outcomes. In this subgroup, the live birth rate was 93%, and none experienced pregnancy complications. This suggests that the treatment is particularly effective when targeted at women with these specific antibodies.
"The sample size was rather small (39 women received the treatment and 8 did not), but the results still clearly show that a treatment with low-dose aspirin or heparin is very effective in preventing pregnancy loss or complications also in women who have these newly discovered self-targeting antibodies," Tanimura summarized.
Implications for Broader Conditions
Tanimura suggests the implications of these findings could extend beyond RPL. "The newly discovered self-targeting antibody has been demonstrated to be involved also in infertility and recurrent implantation failure, as well as a risk factor for arterial thrombosis in women with systemic rheumatic diseases. I therefore expect that studies about the effectivity of the treatment against a broader range of conditions might produce encouraging results."
Study Details and Funding
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from multiple universities across Japan and was funded by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Japan.
