Threatened abortion and late-pregnancy complications: a case-control study and review of literature

Aim of the study was to evaluate the late-pregnancy and perinatal outcomes of patients with threatened miscarriage in the first trimester.An observational cohort study was performed on 81 pregnant women. Subjects were divided into two groups: 1) no bleeding; 2) threatened miscarriage. Patients were followed up until delivery and each materno-fetal complication was registered.Threatened miscarriage was associated with increased risk of preterm delivery, placenta previa, pregnancy induced hypertension/preeclampsia (PE), low birth weight (LBW) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. There were no significantly differences between the 2 groups with regard to preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM), CESAREAN section, retained placenta, perinatal death and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). About immediate neonatal outcomes, mean birth weights were lower (≈ 200 g) in the study group (group 2), while no significant difference in the APGAR score between the two groups was noted.Our study suggests that threatened miscarriage in the first trimester is correlated with an increased incidence of late-pregnancy and perinatal complications and, therefore, these pregnancies should be considered as high risk ones.