Placental isoferritin patterns during first-trimester intrauterine gestation

In this study, serum placental ferritin (PLF) levels were measured among 33 pregnant women with normal, singleton, ongoing first-trimester gestations and compared with 22 nonbleeding, missed and 14 incomplete abortions. Diagnoses were based on clinical, sonographic, endocrinologic and histo-pathologic criteria. At admission and before uterine evacuation of the pregnancy products, venous blood was collected from the groups for PLF determination. The mean ± SD serum PLF levels were 18 ± 14, 21 ± 37, and 3.9 ± 6.2 U/ml in normal gestations, missed and incomplete abortions, respectively. Significant differences in PLF levels were found among normal pregnancies and incomplete abortions (p < 0.05), whereas borderline significance was found in the missed abortion group (p = 0.53). No correlation was found between serum βhCG and PLF for the various pregnancy groups. Low PLF levels in pathologic gestation may reflect abnormal trophoblastic activity. Whether these play a causal role or are the casual outcome of pathologic gestation should be the subject of further evaluation.