Recurrent Miscarriage: Maternal immune cells

Larry Chamley, Peter Stone

One percent of women suffer from recurrent miscarriage. These women have three or more pregnancy losses in a row; some women may have as many as 16 or 17 miscarriages. This is a devastating condition – especially for more than half of these women for whom the cause of their pregnancy loss is unknown.

If recurrent miscarriage is caused by problems of incompatibility between the mother and her fetus, the signs of this problem are likely be present in the placental bed – the site at which the placenta attaches to the uterus. Dr Larry Chamley is investigating the causes of recurrent miscarriage using placental bed biopsies collected from women who have suffered recurrent pregnancy loss. Dr Chamley’s recent research showed an increase in maternal immune cells (T cells) in the placental bed of some women with recurrent miscarriage, which could explain some cases of recurrent miscarriage. By determining the reason for an immune response, recurrent pregnancy loss could be prevented with the use of drugs in the future.

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