Immune infertility is proof that your own immune system can also be an obstacle in getting pregnant. Both the female body and the male body may, in a certain situation, treat the reproductive cells as an enemy and send antibodies against them. Can immune infertility be treated?
Immune infertilityis infertility caused by a malfunction of the immune system that attacks its own reproductive cells. Experts estimate that as many as 6 to 12 percent of infertility cases may be immune-related.
Immune infertility in women
In a woman, immune infertility can take two forms:
- the eggs are attacked by antibodies in the blood, preventing ovulation and preventing fertilization
- a woman's body produces antibodies (in the secretion of the cervix or the uterus itself) to fight sperm or sperm components from a man
Immune infertility for men
In a male, immune infertility results from the fact that the body produces antibodies that destroy the sperm it produces.
Immune infertility: treatment
If antibodies against sperm are produced by a woman, the method of insemination or insemination is used. With the help of special tools, the partner's sperm is inserted directly into the uterine cavity, which allows it to bypass the site of the antibody attack - the vagina and cervix.
Male immune infertility is treated with individually prepared preparations that inhibit the production of specific antibodies in the body. Unfortunately, the therapy is sometimes long-lasting and not very effective. Often the only solution is IVF.