The immunological profile of infertile women after repeated IVF failure (Preliminary study)

Objective: The aim of this preliminary study was to estimate the immunological profile of patients after repeated IVF failures. Materials and methods: Seventeen women after repeated IVF failure and 10 non-pregnant women with a history of successful IVF pregnancies were included in the study. We estimated the presence of the auto-antibodies, such as: antinuclear antibodies (ANA), antithyroid antibodies (ATA), antiphospolipid antibodies (APA), antismooth muscle antibodies (ASMA), and antisperm antibodies (ASA). Furthermore, we estimated the percentage of B-1 CD 19(+)5(+) lymphocytes and NK cells using flow cytometry. Results: In the group of patients after IVF failure the percentage of B-1 CD 19(+)5(+) lymphocytes was higher than 1.5% and significantly higher when compared to controls. Three patients after IVF failure had elevated percentages of peripheral blood NK cells. Fourteen infertile patients after IVF failure (82.3%) had at least one abnormal result on autoimmune testing. One patient from the study group had no positive results of immunological tests. Conclusion: Our results suggest that immunological alterations may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of unexplained infertility. Furthermore, the results suggest that there is a need for immunological diagnostics in the group of patients with unexplained infertility A greater number of patients is needed for further investigations. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.