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STUDY QUESTION Are the levels of circulating cell-derived microparticles (cMPs) in patients with recurrent miscarriage (RM) associated with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)? SUMMARY ANSWER cMPs in women with RM are not associated with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Previous studies have focused on cMP levels in RM patients. Most studies have shown higher levels of cMPs in RM patients whereas others have reported lower levels. Data regarding cMPs in patients with the APS are scanty in the literature. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A case-control study including three groups of patients. A total of 154 women were prospectively recruited from September 2009 to October 2013. Four patients refused to participate. The APS group consisted of 50 women that had been previously diagnosed with primary APS and had had ≥3 consecutive first trimester miscarriages. The uRM group included 52 couples with ≥3 consecutive first trimester miscarriages of unknown etiology. The fertile control (FER) group was composed of 52 healthy fertile women with no history of pregnancy losses. Miscarriage was defined as intrauterine pregnancy loss at

Increased antiphospholipid antibody prevalence has been demonstrated by a number of recent studies in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) patients but the potential effects of antiphospholipid antibodies on the different components of the reproductive process and the consideration of whether to test IVF patients for antiphospholipid antibodies are controversial. The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible association between the presence of circulating antiphospholipid antibodies (namely the lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies), among a series of 21 consecutive IVF patients having a clinical spontaneous abortion after their first embryo transfer. As a control group (n = 42), the nearest IVF cycle resulting in an ongoing pregnancy before and after each miscarried IVF cycle (i.e. the closest cycles in temporal relationship to the index cycle) was used. One patient (4.8%) in the study group and two women (4.8%) among controls were seropositive for antiphospholipid antibodies. These low and similar seropositivity rates found in the two groups studied lead us to conclude that antiphospholipid antibodies testing in IVF patients should be considered only in those women having repeated failures of implantation/clinical abortion after embryo transfer but not in an infertile general population reaching an IVF programme.

The present study is the first prospective randomized controlled trial of the effect of pentoxifylline on future fertility in infertile women with asymptomatic minimal or mild endometriosis. After completion of a basic infertility workup and laparoscopy, patients were entered into the study and randomly allocated to receive either a 12 month course of oral pentoxifylline (800 mg/day) (n = 30) or an oral placebo (n = 30). Those patients with other infertility factors were included in the study only if the factors were correctable and ultimately determined to be non-contributory. Life-table analysis was used to compare pregnancy rates between the two groups over a 12 month period that started immediately after laparoscopy. The 12 month actuarial overall pregnancy rates were 31 and 18.5% in the pentoxifylline and placebo groups respectively. However, this difference was not statistically significant by the chi(2)-test. Similarly, the Cox regression method showed no differences between the hazard of pregnancy in the two groups studied (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-1.67). Therefore, there is no evidence from this study that immunomodulation with pentoxifylline aids fertility in those women with minimal or mild endometriosis. Further studies including more infertile patients with endometriosis are desirable in order to confirm our results.