Intrauterine hematoma in first trimester can contribute to pregnancy complications: Frontiers

China: The presence of intrauterine hematoma during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of preterm delivery, spontaneous abortion, placental abruption, and fetal growth limitation, says an article published in Frontiers in Medicine.

Intrauterine hematomas (IUHs) are most typically identified on standard obstetric ultrasonography in the first trimester, however, they can be found at any time during the pregnancy. IUH frequently presents as a hypoechoic region in between the uterine wall and chorionic membrane on ultrasound imaging. The research on the association between intrauterine hematoma and pregnancy problems is contradictory. As a result, Zhao-juan Qin and colleagues undertook this study to determine if intrauterine hematoma detected in the first trimester in women carrying singletons is related to poor postnatal outcomes.

Up to September 2021, a complete literature search was conducted using three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science). This study included data from cohort and case-control studies that examined the connection between intrauterine hematoma detected before 14 gestational weeks and the risk of prenatal problems in women carrying a singleton pregnancy. Two team members independently evaluated the studies for inclusion, gathered the relevant data, assessed the risk of bias, and determined by calculating pooled odds ratios (ORs) using random-effects models.

The key findings of this study were as follows:

1. The inclusion criteria were satisfied by nine studies, which included 1,132 women with intrauterine hematoma and 11,179 controls.

2. The risk of spontaneous abortion, premature delivery, fetal development limitation, and placental abruption increases with intrauterine hematoma.

3. There was no statistically significant link established between intrauterine hematoma and preeclampsia.

In conclusion, this is the first study to look at the link between prenatal problems in a given pregnancy and IUH in the first trimester. According to these findings, IUH during the first trimester of pregnancy raises the risk of preterm delivery, spontaneous abortion, placental abruption, and FGR. Nonetheless, more research is needed to corroborate this conclusion.

Reference:

Qin, Z., Xu, Y., Du, Y., Chen, Y., Sun, L., & Zheng, A. (2022). Intrauterine Hematoma in the First Trimester and Pregnancy Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. In Frontiers in Medicine (Vol. 9). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.892146