OBJECTIVE: The current study sought for polymorphisms within the progesterone receptor (PR) gene. Allele and genotype frequencies of patients with repeated abortions were compared to a control group. DESIGN: All exons of the PR of 42 women with repeated abortions and 40 controls were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Determination of the DNA-sequences was performed. RESULTS: Three SNPs were detected (exon 1: G1031C Ser344Thr; exon 4: G1978T Leu660Val, exon 5: C2310T His770His). These SNPs are linked. The more frequent wildtype (*1) allele and the rarer (*2) allele were found in the control group and in the study group at different frequencies (control group: *1/*1: 78%, *1/*2: 22%, *2/*2: 0%; patient group: *1/*1: 50%, *1/*2: 43%, *2/*2: 7%). The genotypes distributions differed significantly from each other (P=0.019, chi2=7.879). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the rarer PR allele may be associated with an increased likelihood of repeated miscarriages contributing to its multi-factorial causes.
