Early Pregnancy Factor Activity in Serum of Patients with Surgical Abortion

PROBLEM: The presence of early pregnancy factor (EPF) has been repeatedly confirmed as indispensable to successful pregnancy. However, there is as yet little reported about how surgical abortion would affect the EPF activity, owing to the induced embryo loss. The aim of this study was to pursue this among a large number of patients available in the People's Republic of China. METHOD: Sera from aborters were collected before surgical abortion and again on the 3rd, 5th and 7th day after treatment. EPF activity was detected by rosette inhibition assay. RESULTS: Before surgical abortion, the mean level of EPF in pregnancy sera was about the same as that of the positive control. After surgical abortion, the EPF level declined rapidly for the first 3 days and then dropped gradually within the negative control range after 5–7 days. DISCUSSION: Quantitative study of EPF activity along temporal dimensions (duration) due to surgical abortion further promotes the efficiency to take EPF activity and its rate of change as truly index for monitoring embryonic care and development of normal pregnancy.