Recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with increased red cell distribution width and platelet distribution width

The present study aims to evaluate how components of complete blood count are altered in women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss.

This was a retrospective evaluation of 60 women who had a history of recurrent pregnancy loss, 60 healthy women who had a first trimester pregnancy and 60 healthy parous women.

When compared with pregnant women and healthy controls, the women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss had significantly higher red cell distribution width (RDW) and platelet distribution width (PDW) (P = 0.001 for both). Thrombophilia was detected in 31.7% of the women who had a history of recurrent pregnancy loss (19 out of 60). When compared to the women without thrombophilia, the women with thrombophilia had significantly lower body mass index (P = 0.034) but significantly higher RDW, PDW and plateletcrit (respectively, P = 0.043, P = 0.001 and P = 0.002). There were significant and positive correlations between RDW and PDW (r = 0.615, P = 0.001), RDW and plateletcrit (r = 0.343, P = 0.007) and PDW and plateletcrit (r = 0.340, P = 0.008) in women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss.

An elevation in PDW and RDW values was found to be associated with recurrent pregnancy loss.