Chlamydial lower genital tract infection and spontaneous abortion.

OBJECTIVE: Few previous studies have examined the role that acute Chlamydia trachomatis lower genital tract infection plays in the development of spontaneous abortion. This study evaluated cervical C. trachomatis infections among 52 women experiencing spontaneous abortion and 59 controls. METHODS: Pregnant women at less than 22 weeks of gestation who sought medical care in an emergency department in West Philadelphia were eligible for enrollment. Urine samples from enrolled women were tested for chlamydia using ligase chain reaction DNA amplification. All women were followed up to 22 weeks of pregnancy to ascertain the outcome of spontaneous abortion. RESULTS: The proportion of women with chlamydial infection was 3.8% among spontaneous abortion cases and 8.5% among controls. After adjustment for potentially confounding factors, there was no substantial difference in the rate of chlamydial infection between women with and without spontaneous abortion (odds ratio 1.8, 95% confidence interval 0.3-10.7). CONCLUSION: These data do not support a relationship between acute C. trachomatis infection and the development of spontaneous abortion.