Women who have close family members with endocrine diseases, including type 2 diabetes, thyroid diseases and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are at higher risk of pregnancy loss, a new study has found. The research, presented today at the ESHRE 40 th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam, examined the association between various endocrine diseases and the incidence of pregnancy loss. The study investigated 366,539 women in Denmark between 1973 and 2022.
The study found that women with parents diagnosed with endocrine diseases faced a 6% higher risk of pregnancy loss compared to those without a family history of endocrine diseases. Similarly, if a woman's sister had an endocrine disease, her risk of experiencing pregnancy loss increased by 7%. These patterns persisted even when individual cases of the diseases were considered.
The results highlight having a family history of endocrine disease as an important, yet previously underexplored, factor in assessing the risk of pregnancy loss. This study is the first of its kind to link familial endocrine disease with pregnancy loss, providing evidence that these familial conditions contribute to the risk. We believe that the mechanism linking familial endocrine disease and pregnancy loss could be a shared genetic background, predisposing individuals to both endocrine disease and pregnancy loss.
One potential mechanism could involve high risk human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), which define the immune system's ability to distinguish 'good from b.
