SERUM FROM PATIENTS WITH THREATENED-ABORTION - EFFECT ON IN-VITRO DEVELOPMENT OF MOUSE EMBRYOS

The effect of serum from patients with threatened abortion on in vitro development of two-cell mouse embryos was evaluated. Embryos were cul tured for 72 hours in 7.5% serum supplement from patients with threate ned abortion and from women with normal pregnancies and in Ham's F-10 medium with No serum supplement. Significantly fewer embryos developed to the blastocyst stage at 72 hours in the threatened abortion group as compared with the normal pregnancy group and Ham's F-10 (P < .001). These results suggest the presence of serum factors that are toxic to early embryonic development and thus may play a role in the pathogene sis of threatened abortion.