Telomere length in individuals with early pregnancy losses

Aim. Over the past decade, telomere biology has become an important topic in the field of human reproduction.We focused on the relationship between relative telomere length (RTL) and tendency to early pregnancy loss (EPL) in humans. Methods. RTL was measured in DNA isolated from the blood samples using a real-time polymerase chain reaction approach. RTL was examined in control group (C) (N=209) – women (CW) (N=107) and men (CM) (N=102) who had healthy pregnancies with no history of infertility or miscarriage, and in group with EPL (N=445) – women (EPLW) (N=223) and men (EPLM) (N=212) who had single or more EPL. RTL data were analyzed by gender and reproductive history. Results. Women (CW+EPLW) have significantly higher RTL that men (CM+EPLM) (1.74±0.06 in women and 1.40±0.05 in men, P=0.000053). Average RTL were significantly lower in CM compared to CW (CW: 2.27±0.12 versus CM: 1.15±0.08, P=0.0000001), and were similar in EPLW and EPLM (1.50±0.06 in EPLW and 1.53±0.06 in EPLM, P=0.47). The EPLW group had significantly lower RTL than control (EPLW: 1.50±0.06 versus CW: 2.27±0.12, P=0.0000001). Average RTL were significantly lower in CM compared to EPLM (1.15±0.08 in CM and 1.53±0.06 in EPLM, P=0.00006). Conclusions. Women with no history of EPL have longer telomere than men. Woman with EPL have shorter telomere that women without miscarriage. In EPL group women and men have similar telomere length.Keywords: telomeres, RT-PCR, gender, early reproductive loss.