Background: The aim of this study was to determine serum concentrations of macrophage migration inhibition factor (MIF) during normal pregnancies, and to assess whether serum MIF concentrations early in pregnancies predict the subsequent outcome in women with recurrent miscarriage (RM).
Methods: Serum MIF concentrations were measured by ELISA. Sera were collected from normal women in the first (Group I, n = 29), second (Group II, n = 25) and third trimester (Group III, n = 26) and from 78 RM women at 4-6 weeks gestation. Eleven of these 78 pregnancies subsequently ended in first trimester miscarriage with normal fetal chromosome karyotype (MsNK), seven ended in first trimester miscarriage with abnormal karyotype (MsAK), and three ended in biochemical pregnancy. The other 57 pregnancies ended in live birth (LB) between 32-41 weeks gestation, and only one woman developed preeclampsia.
Results: Median MIF concentrations in Group I, II and III were similar at 17.6, 16.4 and 15.1 ng/ml respectively. MIF concentrations during early gestation in RM women with subsequent MsNK, MsAK and LB were 8.1, 11.4 and 16.4 ng/ml respectively. MIF concentrations in RM women with MsNK were significantly lower than those in RM women with LB (P < 0.01) and than those in Group I (P < 0.01), II (P < 0.05) and III (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Decreased serum MIF concentrations during early gestation were found in RM women with MsNK, and might be related to the aetiology of miscarriage.