Summary

Background:

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy is the most common cause of intrauterine infection, and is a common cause of sensorineural hearing loss and mental retardation. 

Objectives:

To evaluate trends in amniocentesis and pregnancy outcome in women with suspected cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the first trimester.

Methods:

All blood tests for CMV immunoglobulin M (IgM) done between 2008 and 2009 on pregnant women who were enrolled in the Maccabi Healthcare Services were retrieved from laboratory database. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity was measured and women were classified according to the risk of acquiring CMV infection. For each patient, performance of amniocentesis and whether pregnancy came to term were recorded.

Results:

Of 109,439 pregnant women evaluated during the study period, 76,712 (70.1%) were tested for CMV IgM, and 792 (1.03%) were found to be positive. Among women with positive IgM, only 205 (25.9%) underwent amniocentesis. When compared with women with negative CMV IgM, the rate of pregnancy cessation was doubled in women with positive CMV IgM (28.3% vs. 14.3%, P < 0.05) and mostly elevated in women with a high risk of acquiring CMV (42.3% pregnancy cessation). Among women with positive CMV IgM, those who did not undergo amniocentesis were more likely to abort than those who performed amniocentesis (35.6% vs. 7.3%, P < 0.05). 

Conclusions:

More women with suspected CMV infection during the first trimester of pregnancy aborted before all means of detection were utilized to rule out or confirm fetal infection with CMV.