The fundamental problem in achieving a successful pregnancy is the woman's bodily defences seeing the father's part of the embryo as a foreign body.
Using the example of organ transplants, only when the donor’s tissue is similar to the recipient’s, can organ rejection be avoided. However, mechanisms do exist to protect the pregnancy from an attack by the woman's immune system. |
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Antibodies “protect” the pregnancy by blocking some of the mother's immune cells. The immune system would immediately recognise the embryo as a foreign body but is inhibited from doing so by these antibodies (Fc-blocking antibodies). It is presumed that some similarity between the partners prevents the woman’s immune system from developing protective antibodies.
One theory for treatment is “active immunisation”, when the woman’s immune system is prompted to produce “protective antibodies” by her white blood cells.
Another theory is “passive immunisation”; it was found that when immunoglobulin infusions were applied during organ transplants, rejections were rare. The same method was used to prevent the rejection of embryos by the woman's body. However, it is believed that the risks of this treatment outweigh the advantages and it has been banned in the USA.
Active and passive immunisations refer to the transfer of blood components. In theory, all the complications that can occur after a blood transfusion can also apply to a pregnancy: anaphylactic (allergic) reactions and the transmission of infectious diseases. Also antibodies can be formed against the blood components through the accidental transfer of red blood cells or platelets.
A new method to prevent this is called leukocyte ultra-filtrate. A drug called Leukonorm®, produced from donor’s leukocytes, is used for preventing miscarriages (abortions). It activates mechanisms similar to the “active immunisation” in the immune system. The preparation is administered by weekly injections.
Summary: For the treatment of non-nidation cases and miscarriages caused by immunologic reactions, several methods exist, but the most reliable one is the active immunisation. None of the treatments have been firmly established as a standard therapy. |
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Causes of infertility 
