JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):230
29th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263851
JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):230
Poster Presentation
29th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263851
P-218. Telomere Length and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A Case-Control Study
1 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – Porto Alegre - RS – Brasil
2 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre – Porto Alegre - RS – Brasil
Objective: A pregnancy loss is characterized by the loss of embryo or fetus before it reaches its viability and can occur as an isolated event or recurrently. Recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL) are characterized by two or more spontaneous pregnancy losses. Several factors are associated with the condition, such as female anatomical factors, endocrine factors, and maternal age, however in approximately half the cases the etiology remains unknown. Cellular senescence is defined as a state of cell cycle arrest, even when cells are stimulated with growth factors. One of senescence's main inducers is telomere shortening. Telomeres shorten during cell division until they reach a length of which they can no longer perform their protective functions for chromosomes, being mainly related to aging. Previous studies have suggested a possible link between cellular senescence and altered telomere homeostasis and adverse reproductive outcomes, such as RPL. In this context, the aim of this research was to evaluate the relationship between telomere length and recurrent pregnancy loss through a case-control study.
Methods: Therefore, we evaluated the telomere lengths of a sample of women with history of RPL (n=8) and women without history of infertility (n=9). The analysis of the relative telomere length of the DNA samples from both groups was performed through two real-time quantitative PCR reactions (qPCR), in which the ratio between Ct values for telomeres and a single- copy gene (36B4; T/S ratio) was calculated. In addition, clinical and demographic data of patients, such as age, age at first pregnancy, number of pregnancies, smoking, and alcohol consumption, were analyzed and compared. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Student's t-test.
Results: It was observed that the control group had a higher T/S ratio than the RPL group (1.109 and 0.698, respectively; p=0.0462). Furthermore, patients in the control group had a significantly higher mean age (37.22) compared to patients in the case group (28.38; p=0.0043).
Conclusion: Based on the results, a relationship between shortened telomeres and RPL can be evidenced. By investigating telomere length as a possible mechanism related to RPL, this work aimed to help understand and better comprehend the etiology of this condition and its relationship with cellular senescence.