Heterochromatic polymorphism in spontaneous abortions.

Since the advent of C-banding as a routine diagnostic procedure, the significance of heterochromatic polymorphism has been questioned. Some workers have considered variations in heterochromatin in chromosomes 1 and 9 to be associated with fetal wastage, recurrent abortions, and abnormal phenotypes. Over a 15-month period, this laboratory made a study of the diagnostic significance of heterochromatic variants in 50 couples with a history of recurrent abortions. A control group of 50 couples with at least two normal children and no miscarriages was investigated simultaneously. The results indicated no significant difference in the heterochromatic regions between aborting and non-aborting couples.