ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM INFERTILITY? CHECK YOUR IMMUNITY

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM INFERTILITY PROBLEMS? CHECK YOUR IMMUNITY.
There has been a lot of discuss about the role the immune system plays in fertility. The immune system generally works to protect the body from foreign cells and bacteria. Sometimes though, problems within the immune system prevent it from working properly. Many couples facing infertility issues may actually have immune system dysfunction, which is preventing them from conceiving. Luckily new test are now available to pinpoint these immune factors in infertility.
Let us begin by looking at the immune system which consists of variety of cells and tissues that help the body to defend you against invading cells and foreign bacteria.
It can recognized the difference between your body’s own cells and those that are not meant to be inside of you. Without your immune system, you couldn’t fight off things like illness, pain or infection. In most people, the immune system works properly all the time. Sometimes however, the system can breakdown, leaving you open to illness, infection or various autoimmune diseases.
You may not realize it, but your immune system also plays a huge role in your fertility. For instance, in order to prepare for ovulation and implantation, your body needs to use certain cells from your immune system. Things like inflammatory cells are needed to help prepare the endometrial lining for implantation. Without a working immune system, normal reproduction can be affected, preventing pregnancy.
Up to 20% of couples with unexplained infertility could actually be suffering from an autoimmune system dysfunction.
Now antisperm antibodies are one immune factor which could be involved in infertility. Antisperm antibodies are cells that fight against normal, healthy sperm. If you have antisperm antibodies, instead of seeing sperms as natural cells, your immune system fights against your sperm and destroy them. This prevents you from producing any viable sperm. Though still to be proven, there is evidence that antibodies against sperm could result in infertility.
So how do antisperm antibodies affect fertility? Antisperm antibodies can really impair the function of a healthy sperm. These antibodies attach to sperm, reducing motility and making it more difficult for sperm to pass through the cervical mucus.
Antisperm antibodies can also force sperm to clump together, making it difficult for sperm to fertilize an egg. Normally our bodies develop antibodies to help protect our immune system against illness. However, sometimes our bodies develop antibodies to the wrong thing, which can cause negative repercussions. Among infertile men, about 10% will be diagnosed with having antisperm antibodies, a condition that can significantly decrease your chances of pregnancy.