Past Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Risk for Miscarriage — An Equivocal Association

C. trachomatis infection has adverse reproductive outcomes, including infertility and ectopic pregnancy; however, its association with miscarriage is less clear. In a case-control study, investigators in Scotland assessed the prevalence of antibodies to C. trachomatis — an indicator of lifetime exposure — in 251 women with first-trimester miscarriage compared with 118 women (matched for baseline characteristics) who reached the third trimester.

Women who miscarried were less likely than those who did not miscarry to have had a prior live birth (51% vs. 72%) but equally likely to have antibodies to C. trachomatis (28% and 26%). However, 14% of women with miscarriage self-reported a history of C. trachomatis infection whereas only 2% of women …