Low-Dose Aspirin Affects Women Seeking To Become Pregnant After Pregnancy Loss

University of Utah researchers are seeking women who've had one or two pregnancy losses for a study to examine whether low-dose aspirin can help them become pregnant again and carry full-term babies.

The number of preterm births in this country has increased markedly in recent years, with eight to 15 percent of all babies born prematurely. A miscarriage will occur 15-31 percent of the time among women who are pregnant. But studies have shown low-dose aspirin may improve pregnancy outcomes by improving blood flow to the reproductive organs and the placenta and helping to thicken the uterine wall. The three-year EAGeR (Effects of Aspirin on Gestation and Reproduction) study is aimed at determining the benefits of low-dose aspirin in women who've had problem pregnancies.

"This could have a favorable impact on several aspects of reproduction, including implantation, early pregnancy loss, stillbirth, pre-eclampsia, small-for-gestational-age fetus, placental insufficiency, and preterm birth," said Robert M. Silver, M.D., principal investigator for the EAGeR study, professor and chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the U's School of Medicine.

Women between the ages of 18-40 who have had one or two pregnancy losses and wish to become pregnant again may be eligible to participate in the EAGeR study. Participants will meet with a research nurse once or twice a month, answer questions about past medical and reproductive history, collect blood and urine samples, take a daily folic acid pill along with the daily aspirin or placebo, and keep a short daily diary.

During the next three years, the U plans to enroll 1,100 Utah women in the study. All 17 hospitals along the Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Provo, are supporting the study. Hospital-based emergency rooms, radiology departments and ultrasound units, along with private obstetrician/gynecology and family practice clinics have been invited to participate in and support the EAGeR study. "Our partnership with area hospitals and community clinics is helping to get the word out about the EAGeR study, giving women an opportunity to participate," said Laurie Lesher, R.N., the study's research coordinator. "Once a participant becomes pregnant, she can continue to see her chosen health-care provider and deliver her baby at the hospital of her choice, while still participating in this research project."