A recent study in mice suggests that inflammation and hormone levels could play a role in early pregnancy loss. This research sheds new light on why many pregnancies fail in the first trimester.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, about 80% of pregnancy losses happen during the first 12 weeks. However, the causes often remain unclear.
Joy Winuthayanon, a former midwife turned researcher, led the study. “I’ve always been interested in pregnancy care, so I pursued a PhD to study it more deeply,” she said. Her team focused on understanding unknown causes of infertility and pregnancy loss.
The study looked at the very early stages after conception, when the embryo is still in the fallopian tubes (oviduct) and has not yet attached to the uterus. The researchers found that excessive inflammation in the oviduct harmed embryo development.
“We discovered that too much inflammation damages embryos,” Winuthayanon explained. “When we reduced inflammation, embryo survival improved significantly.”
In the study, around 40% of mouse embryos exposed to high inflammation were either non-viable or developed more slowly. The research linked this inflammation to low levels of progesterone, a hormone essential for pregnancy and menstrual cycles, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Low progesterone seems to trigger this inflammation,” said Winuthayanon. “And that inflammation delays embryo development in the early stages.”
However, she warned that many other factors can cause inflammation in humans. These include conditions like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and previous chlamydia infections.
The next step, she said, is to investigate if these findings apply to human pregnancy loss. While this study is not yet about finding a cure, it opens doors to future treatments.
Winuthayanon offered advice to women struggling to conceive: “If you’re having trouble getting pregnant, talk to your OB-GYN. Ask if inflammation could be affecting your reproductive health without you knowing.”
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