A drug commonly given to pregnant women with a history of recurrent miscarriage does not actually help reduce their risk, a new study has said.
Researchers are advising doctors to stop offering the blood thinner Low Molecular Weight Heparin (heparin) to patients with inherited thrombophilia.
The condition results in blood having an increased tendency to form clots in veins and arteries.
A new study funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and published in The Lancet indicates that a daily injection of heparin does not improve the chance of a live birth for patients who have previously had two or more miscarriages and confirmed inherited thrombophilia.
It is estimated that this would affect around 50,000 couples per year in the UK.
'The treatment isn’t effective'
The study recruited people from 40 hospitals in the UK, Netherlands, US, Belgium and Slovenia.
Some 326 patients with inherited thrombophilia and recurrent miscarriage were split into two groups.
In total 164 received heparin across the course of their pregnancy, starting from as soon as possible after a positive pregnancy test and ending at the start of labour, while 162 did not.
All participants received standard obstetrician-led care and all were encouraged to take folic acid.
According to the findings, the rate of live births for each group was roughly the same – 116 (71.6%) treated with heparin had a baby born alive after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
In comparison 112 (70.9%) in the standard care group had a baby born alive after 24 weeks.
Siobhan Quenby, professor of obstetrics at the University of Warwick and deputy director of the Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research, said they didn't recommend the use of heparin after this.
They added: “Patients and doctors will always value knowing about any factor which could be associated with recurrent miscarriage, but the association between inherited thrombophilia and recurrent miscarriage isn’t proven: a recent review of research showed that thrombophilia is as common in the general population as it is in patients with recurrent miscarriage.
“Around the world many of those who suffer with recurrent miscarriage are tested for inherited thrombophilia and are treated with heparin daily.
“Research now shows that this screening is not needed, the treatment isn’t effective, and it is giving false hope to many by continuing to offer it as a potential preventive treatment.”
Researchers suggest that stopping screening for inherited thrombophilia and ending the use of heparin as a treatment for these patients could save the NHS around £20m per year.
Additionally, they argue that continuing to offer the medication offers false hope of it potentially being a preventative treatment.
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