New Infertility Treatments no Good?
Reported November 30, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire)–Women who experience recurring miscarriages do not need to receive treatments aimed at controlling the level of natural killer cells in their wombs, report investigators who reviewed the medical literature on the topic.
In fact, the treatments could put both women and their unborn children at undue risk.
Researchers explain NK cells are normally found in the uterus and increase significantly in number during early pregnancy. However, doctors do not know why these cells exist or what their function is during pregnancy. Some, however, have speculated they could play a role in miscarriage or infertility and thus, have begun testing for blood levels of the cells in women with fertility problems.
Women who appear to have high levels of the cells are being offered treatments with steroids or immune suppressant drugs to bring their NK cell levels under control.
These investigators note none of these treatments have been licensed for use in reproductive medicine, and all are associated with potentially dangerous risks for the mother and her child. What’s more, little study exists to show they have any benefit on the outcome of pregnancy.
“Understanding the function of uterine NK cells is certainly a major challenge in human reproduction,” write the authors. “However, until more is known about their role in normal pregnancy, there is no evidence of any benefit in offering NK cell testing to women with recurrent miscarriage or infertility.”
SOURCE: British Medical Journal, 2004;329:1283-1285