Fish Oil Derivatives as a Prophylaxis of Recurrent Miscarriage Associated with Antiphospholipid Antibodies (APL) : a Pilot Study

Since 1989, 22 patients with persistent antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) associated with recurrent miscarriage (defined as three or more miscarriages) were treated with fish oil, equivalent to 5.1 g eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at a ratio of 1.5 EPA to DHA. Twenty-two patients had 23 pregnancies (one patient had two pregnancies) over a period of 3 years. There was only one intrauterine fetal death at the 27th week associated with pre-eclampsia. Twenty-one pregnancies, 19 of which ended after the 37th week, produced a baby. Two pregnancies ended with cesarean section for pre-eclampsia at 30th and 35th week of gestation and one is ongoing at 32nd week. All babies are well. The weight at birth of babies delivered at term was always > 2500 g. These encouraging results favour a therapeutic role, without any adverse reaction, of fish oil to prevent recurrent miscarriage in PAPS.