Kobe University Finds New Treatment for Women with Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Researchers at Kobe University have discovered a new treatment that significantly increases the chances of women with recurrent pregnancy loss to carry to full term. The study was led by obstetrician Tanimura Kenji.
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Recurrent pregnancy loss is a condition where women lose two or more pregnancies for unknown reasons. Tanimura and his team found that 20% of these women have a specific antibody that attacks their own bodies.
The Study
Tanimura collaborated with obstetricians from five hospitals in Japan. Over two years, they analyzed the blood of women with recurrent pregnancy loss. If these women became pregnant, they were offered treatments including low-dose aspirin or heparin.
Results
The study found that 87% of women who received the treatment had live births, compared to 50% without treatment. The treatment also reduced pregnancy complications from 50% to 6%. The results were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.
Future Implications
Tanimura believes that the newly discovered antibody is also involved in infertility and other conditions. He expects future studies to produce encouraging results.
Doubts Revealed
Kobe University -: Kobe University is a school in Japan where people go to learn and do research.
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss -: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss means a woman has had several miscarriages, which is when a baby dies in the womb before it can be born.
Low-dose aspirin -: Low-dose aspirin is a small amount of a medicine that people usually take to help with pain or to keep their blood from clotting too much.
Heparin -: Heparin is a medicine that helps prevent blood clots, which are clumps of blood that can block blood flow.
Obstetrician -: An obstetrician is a doctor who helps women during pregnancy and childbirth.
Tanimura Kenji -: Tanimura Kenji is the name of the doctor who led the study at Kobe University.
Live births -: Live births mean babies that are born alive and healthy.
Frontiers in Immunology -: Frontiers in Immunology is a magazine where scientists share their research about the body’s defense system, called the immune system.
