Frequency of Uterine Malformations Among Women in a Restricted Gene Pool Community

Abstract

This random, retrospective cross-sectional study was performed to determine the frequency of uterine malformation in restricted gene pool communities. During 2003—2006, 800 women from the community of LaCrete in northern Alberta, Canada (known restricted gene pool for over 500 years), participated. Of the participants, 156 (19.5% of the study population) showed some form of structural uterine malformation. This is 5.5 times higher than what is reported in the general population. All 156 subjects were further investigated with magnetic resonance imaging, 3D sonography, hysterosalpingiography, hysteroscopy, and laparoscopy. These tests revealed that 30 of these women had no previous pregnancies or live births, 40 had one or more previous pregnancies and live births and more than two miscarriages, and 55 had recurrent miscarriages. This study has provided new insights into the increasing number of uterine malformations in the LaCrete population. The significantly higher prevalence of uterine malformations in a restricted gene pool community compared to the reported prevalence in the general population might indicate a direct link between a lack of genetic diversity and the development of uterine malformations in women.