Antiphospholipid syndrome and pregnancy: A review article

Introduction: Antiphospholipid syndrome has been associated with numerous health complications in patients. However, a significant number of pregnant women or women planning to conceive have an increased risk of developing complications leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate and analyze the adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with antiphospholipid syndrome or antiphospholipid antibodies.

Material and methods: In this study, the methodology used was a systematic literature review with a search of English articles, conducted in electronic databases, such as Pubmed, Google Scholar, Cochrane and scientific journals. The time frames for the search of the articles were from 2014 to 2024.

Results: Antiphospholipid syndrome can have adverse effects on both the pregnant woman and the fetus. However, the risk varies from woman to woman and depends on which antiphospholipid antibodies she is positive to, her medical history, i.e. whether she has a history of thrombosis, complications in a previous pregnancy such as miscarriage, intrauterine deaths, placental insufficiency, whether there is another co-morbid condition - usually autoimmune disease, and the treatment she has received. The analysis of the studies in this paper emphasize the importance of categorizing women according to the characteristics of the antiphospholipid syndrome, as well as early diagnosis of the syndrome in order to receive appropriate treatment to prevent or minimize possible adverse outcomes.

Conclusion: Understanding the pathophysiology and complications of antiphospholipid syndrome that may occur during pregnancy is of major importance for planning perinatal care.