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Specific secretory phase endometrial leukocytes of women with two and more consecutive idiopathic abortions are not significantly different from healthy controls

  • Materno-fetal Medicine
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Abstract

Objective

To analyze concentrations of endometrial leukocytes in patients with idiopathic-repeated abortions.

Materials and methods

Biopsies of exactly dated secretory endometrium in 25 patients with idiopathic-repeated abortions and 10 control patients without a history of miscarriage were compared with respect to the concentrations of T-helper cells (CD4), cytotoxic T-cells (CD8), B-cells (CD19) and uterine natural killer cells (CD56) by immunohistochemistry and RNase protection assays.

Results

All examined cells were detectable within secretory endometrium. No statistically significant differences of the examined immune-cell concentrations were seen between the control group and the repeated miscarriage group by either test.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the concentrations of specific endometrial leukocytes in a non-pregnant cycle are not associated with repeated pregnancy loss. Thus, the hypothesis of an altered endometrial immunity in patients with repeated miscarriages, symbolized by persistently differing local immune-cell concentrations, has to be questioned.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. Julia Jauckus, who contributed substantially to the accurate performance of the experiments.

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Luebeck, Germany

    Michael K. Bohlmann & Doerte W. Luedders

  2. Department of Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Thomas Strowitzki & Michael von Wolff

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  1. Michael K. Bohlmann
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  2. Doerte W. Luedders
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  3. Thomas Strowitzki
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  4. Michael von Wolff
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Correspondence to Michael K. Bohlmann.

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Bohlmann, M.K., Luedders, D.W., Strowitzki, T. et al. Specific secretory phase endometrial leukocytes of women with two and more consecutive idiopathic abortions are not significantly different from healthy controls. Arch Gynecol Obstet 281, 983–990 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-009-1179-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-009-1179-9

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