Absence of association of inherited thrombophilia with unexplained third-trimester intrauterine fetal death

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the alleged association between thrombophilia and unexplained third-trimester stillbirth. Study design Case subjects were 37 women with a history of a third-trimester unexplained stillbirth. Control subjects were 46 volunteers, group-matched for ethnic origin, with no history of stillbirth, recurrent fetal loss, or thromboembolism. The pathology report of 34/37 placentas of case subjects was reviewed. Results The prevalence of at least 1 inherited thrombophilia among case subjects was 37.8% compared with 41.3% among control subjects. (OR = 0.87; 95%CI, 0.32–2.29). There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the prevalence of any single inherited thrombophilia. There was, however, a significantly higher prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies among case subjects compared with control subjects: 47.2% vs 8.7%, respectively (OR = 9.4; 95%CI, 2.5-42.3). No significant difference was noted in the prevalence of thrombopilia among subjects with or without placental infarcts. Conclusion We did not find an association between unexplained third-trimester intrauterine fetal death and inherited thrombophilia; however, we did find such an association with antiphospholipid antibodies.