This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Ware Branch, D. Articles by Hatasaka, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ware Branch, D. Articles by Hatasaka, H. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Review : Antiphospholipid antibodies and infertility: Fact or fallacy

University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Salt Lake City, Utah

HH Hatasaka

University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Salt Lake City, Utah

Some clinicians are convinced that antiphospholipid antibodies, including antibodies to any one of five-to-seven phospholipid antigens, are associated with infertility. Additionally, some clinicians recommend that infertile women who have antiphospholipid antibodies and are undergoing in-vitro fertilization should be treated with heparin to improve the rate of pregnancy. However, experts disagree regarding the relationship between antiphospholipid antibodies and infertility. There is also substantial evidence that treatment with heparin does not alter the rate of pregnancy following in-vitro fertilization. Why the confusion? Probable culprits include variation in study design and the selection of infertile patients. Another important problem is that assays for antiphospholipid antibodies other than anticardiolipin are not standardized. Before the real relationship between antiphospholipid antibodies and infertility is discovered, assays for antiphospholipid antibodies other than anticardiolipin must be standardized and properly designed studies conducted. Randomized, controlled trials must be done to determine if heparin should be recommended as an adjunctive treatment for in-vitro fertilization in women with antiphospholipid antibodies.

Key Words: antiphospholipid antibodies • infertility • in-vitro fertilization

Lupus, Vol. 7, No. 2 suppl, S90-S94 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/096120339800700220


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J D. Alves, E L Radway-Bright, S Lee, B Grima, J Hothersall, C T Ravirajan, and D A Isenberg Antiphospholipid antibodies are induced by in vitro fertilization and correlate with paraoxonase activity and total antioxidant capacity of plasma in infertile women Lupus, May 1, 2005; 14(5): 373 - 380. [Abstract] [PDF]