2015, Number 2
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Rev Cuba Endoc 2015; 26 (2)
Immune mechanisms and female infertility
León TEJ, Hernández DEB, Cubas DI, Rodríguez AJ, Cabrera-Rode E
Language: Spanish
References: 37
Page: 193-205
PDF size: 168.02 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: infertility is a growing worldwide health problem whose causal
factors are mostly associated to the female sex. A close relationship has recently
been suggested between fertility disorders and functional alterations of the immune
system contributing to and maintaining infertility.
Objective: review updated scientific literature about the subject to identify the role
of immune mechanisms in the development of female infertility.
Development: the very immune components ensuring the success of reproduction
may create a perpetuated inflammatory environment in the presence of an
antigenic stimulus, resulting in the development of a tissular lesion. Dysregulated
inflammation triggers autoimmune reactions against reproductive structures,
affecting their operation. The presence of autoantibodies and proinflammatory
cytokines as biological markers of these phenomena has been reported for
conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Conclusions: the immune system is known to play an important role in both
normal and pathological female reproduction. However, information about the
subject continues to be scant. Underestimation of the immune factors present in
the clinical environment often blocks the way for diagnostic and therapeutic
alternatives which could otherwise improve the quality of the care of infertile
women. The complexity of the immune and endocrine systems, as well as the
limited reach of the available diagnostic tools, are factors contributing to such
insufficiency.
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