Objective: To determine whether increased frequency of mutant alleles of the progesterone receptor gene (PGR) was associated with preterm birth in a population of Hispanic women.
Methods: Placental DNA from 64 patients who had preterm births and 54 control patients was genotyped for 4 progesterone receptor gene polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism. The chi(2) test and t test were used to calculate statistical significance. Linkage disequilibrium was calculated using the Linkage Disequilibrium Analyzer program.
Results: The genotypic frequencies of the 4 polymorphisms were not significantly different between the study and control groups. In addition, there was complete linkage disequilibrium between V660L, H770H, and PROGINS polymorphisms, but not with +331G/A polymorphism.
Conclusions: The present study suggests that polymorphisms in the progesterone receptor gene are unlikely to be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth in a Hispanic population.