Low-dose aspirin may not be beneficial for future pregnancy outcomes in women with prior pregnancy loss, according to a recent study.
The loss of a pregnancy is a fairly common event, estimated to occur in up to 30 percent of all conceptions. Women who have had a pregnancy loss are at increased risk of having a subsequent loss and other adverse pregnancy events.
Researchers noted that many health care providers prescribe low-dose aspirin therapy for women who have had a pregnancy loss, and who would like to get pregnant again.
"The effectiveness of this treatment has not been proven," Jean Wactawski-Wende, researcher and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo, said in a statement.
For the study, researchers enrolled 1228 women between 18 and 40 years old to participate. Of those, 1078 completed the study. They were randomly assigned to receive either low-dose aspirin or placebo. They were followed for up to six cycles during which they attempted to conceive. All women in the study received folic acid.
About 58 percent of those in the low-aspirin group had a live birth, compared with 53 percent of those in the placebo group. Pregnancy loss occurred in 13 percent of the women taking low-dose aspirin and in 12 percent of the placebo group.
Adverse events were similar between the two groups. One adverse reaction, increased vaginal bleeding, was associated with low-dose aspirin but the bleeding was not associated with pregnancy loss.
"Our conclusion is that preconception-initiated, low-dose aspirin is not significantly associated with live birth or pregnancy loss in women overall," Wactawski-Wende said. "And the study does not support the general use of low-dose aspirin to decrease the risk of pregnancy loss."
