Kobe University Discovers Treatment for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

In Kobe, Japan, researchers from Kobe University have made a significant breakthrough in treating women who experience recurrent pregnancy loss. This condition affects women who have lost two or more pregnancies without a known cause. The research team, led by obstetrician Tanimura Kenji, found that about 20% of these women have a specific antibody that attacks their own bodies.

New Treatment Approach

Tanimura and his team discovered that this antibody is similar to one involved in another condition with an established treatment. They decided to test whether the same treatment could help women with recurrent pregnancy loss. The study involved obstetricians from five hospitals in Japan, who analyzed the blood of women with this condition over two years.

Promising Results

Women who tested positive for the antibody and became pregnant were offered treatment options including low-dose aspirin or heparin. The results were promising: 87% of women who received the treatment had live births, compared to only 50% of those who did not receive the treatment. Additionally, the treatment reduced pregnancy complications from 50% to 6%.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, involved a small sample size of 39 women receiving treatment and 8 not receiving it. However, the results indicate that low-dose aspirin or heparin is effective in preventing pregnancy loss and complications in women with these antibodies.

Future Implications

Tanimura noted that women with the newly discovered antibodies who received treatment were even more likely to have a live birth, with a 93% success rate and no complications. He suggests that this antibody may also be linked to infertility and other conditions, and further studies could expand the treatment’s effectiveness.