I have done five cycles of IVF and on three occasions my pregnancy test was negative while two cycles showed a low positive that never progressed to a pregnancy. What is wrong?
When sperm meets egg, creating an embryo, an individual, genetically different from the mother, is nurtured within the uterus until delivery. Fortunately, the maternal immune system responds in a protective way in the majority of pregnancies. In some pregnancies, the implanting embryo elicits an aggressive response and this abnormal response can result in failure to implant, very early loss as in a chemical pregnancy, first trimester miscarriage or even placental insufficiency and decreased fetal growth in the second and third trimester. Patients who conceive without any assistance, but have recurrent pregnancy loss, were the first studied by Dr. Alan Beer and other reproductive immunologists. In these patients, autoantibodies like phospholipid or thyroid antibodies and specialized lymphocytes like natural killer cells may damage the delicate vessels and blood supply of the early placenta, causing clotting in the vessels and pregnancy loss. Certain patients who have recurrent loss or r
