Trimester-specific reference intervals and profile of coagulation parameters for Chinese pregnant women with diverse demographics and obstetric history: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Owing to the changes in childbirth policy in China, this work aimed to update the trimester-specific reference intervals (RIs) for Chinese pregnant women with diverse demographics and obstetric history. This study also investigated how advanced maternal age (AMA) (> 35 years old), gravity, and parity influence gestational coagulation parameters. METHODS: In this prospective cross-sectional study, five coagulation parameters were measured using assays provided by Roche diagnostics on Cobas t 711: prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (Fib), and D-dimer, and the trimester-specific 2.5th -97.5th and 95th (D-dimer only) percentiles RIs were established accordingly. Linear regressions were undertaken to analyze the association with demographic characteristics and obstetric history for each parameter. RESULTS: 893 eligible pregnant women in different trimesters and at AMA/non-AMA and 275 non-pregnant healthy women were enrolled. For the first, second, and third trimester, respectively, RIs were as follows: APTT (s): 24.8–35.7, 24.6–34.1, and 23.5–34.7; TT (s): 14.4–17.3, 14.1–16.7, and 14.2–17.5; PT (s): 8.30–10.20, 8.00-9.77, and 7.92–9.57; PT-INR: 0.86–1.06, 0.83–1.02, and 0.82–0.98; Fib (g/L): 2.76–4.97, 3.14–5.31, and 3.44–5.93; D-dimer (µg/ml): 0-0.969, 0-2.14, and 0-3.28. No statistically significant differences were observed in TT, D-dimer, and APTT between the AMA and non-AMA women, while PT and PT-INR were shorter and Fib was higher in the AMA group. The association of gravidity and parity with each coagulation parameter is statistically significant (p < 0.05). PT and PT-INR were shortened and D-dimer decreased as gravidity increased. Longer PT and PT-INR, shorter APPT, higher D-Dimer, and lower Fib were associated with increasing parity. CONCLUSIONS: This work updated the gestational coagulation profiles of Chinese pregnant women and established trimester-specific RIs accordingly. Establishing specific RIs based on AMA, parity, and gravidity might not be necessary. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-023-05571-z.