The Alife2 trial
The Alife2 study is investigating whether anti-coagulant (blood-thinning) treatment reduces the risk of miscarriage in women with two or more (unexplained) miscarriages and inherited thrombophilia – a blood-clotting problem.
The Alife2 trial is now closed to new participants. Results will be published when available.
Information on how the trial has been run is below.
Participants
Women were able to take part in the trial if a blood test showed that they had inherited thrombophilia
AND
- They had had two or more miscarriages
- They were aged between 18 and 42
- They weree trying for a baby, or plan to try, and were not yet pregnant and
- They were willing to be ‘randomised’ – to be chosen at random – to either the trial treatment or standard care.
What would I need to do?
Participants randomised to trial treatment were instructed in how to inject themselves once daily with a dose of anti-coagulant in either upper leg or abdomen. Treatment started at or within 7 weeks of a confirmed pregnancy (based on first day of the last period) and continued until the start of labour or the end of the pregnancy.
Participants who were randomised to standard care did not need to inject themselves at all, but were be given normal pregnancy care, although they were followed up by the research team.
Where was it taking place?
The following hospitals recruited patients
- Basingstoke: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
- Birmingham: Heartlands Hospital
- Birmingham: Women’s Hospital
- Bolton: Royal Bolton Hospital
- Cambridge: Addenbrookes Hospital
- Chester: Countess of Chester Hospital
- Coventry: University Hospital Coventry
- Harrogate: Harrogate District Hospital
- Leeds: St James University Hospital
- Leicester: University Hospital Leicester
- Liverpool: Liverpool Women’s Hospital
- London: Epsom & St Helier Hospital
- London: University Hospital Lewisham
- London: University College London Hospital
- Manchester: St Mary’s Hospital
- Nottingham: Queens Medical Centre
- Oxford: John Radcliffe Hospital
- Sheffield: Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (Jessop Wing)
- Southampton: University Hospital Southampton
- Stoke: Royal Stoke Hospital
- Surrey: Royal Surrey County Hospital
- Swansea: Singleton Hospital
- Warrington: Warrington Hospital
- Wirral: Arrowe Park Hospital