Anti-phospholipid autoantibodies--do they have a pathogenic role in infertility?
Anti-phospholipid syndrome includes a variety of clinical manifestations, among which is recurrent pregnancy loss. Recently, it was suggested that anti-phospholipid antibodies might also have a role in infertility, mainly in unexplained infertility. Most of the studies report about an increased prevalence of these antibodies in infertile women; however, data regarding the implication of these antibodies on treatment outcome (mainly in in-vitro fertilization) and if there is a beneficial effect of treating these patients with aspirin, heparin and prednisone--remains still controversial. In this communication we review the literature reports of association of anti-phospholipid antibodies and infertility, and deal with the question whether they have a pathogenic role in these cases.
Department of Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
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Sherer
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Shoenfeld
D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000097:blood*; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*
D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid