Results on investigation and immune treatment for recurrent abortion are presented. Up to 60% of patients who are free of any clinical identifiable cause for abortion are believed to have alloimmune abnormalities. One of the suggested therapies for this condition is paternal lymphocyte immunization. We present the result of 116 pregnancies followed at the Departamento de Tocoginecologia UNICAMP. Patients were thoroughly evaluated for causes of recurrent abortion mentioned in the literature (genetics, hormones, uterine abnormalities and infections), for autoimmune (antiphospholipid syndrome, abnormal autoantibodies) and for alloimmune causes (crossmatch by microlymphocytotoxicity and mixed lymphocyte culture). Patients who presented negative crossmatch and lower than 50% inhibition in mixed lymphocyte culture were treated with two concentrated intradermal paternal lymphocyte immunizations. Women were stimulated to attempt pregnancy with a positive crossmatch and higher than 50% inhibition in mixed lymphocyte culture. Women whose immune status did not change with this treatment were immunized again with paternal lymphocytes associated or not to a third party donor. We report that 81% of the women treated with this protocol had good pregnancy outcome.
Recurrent abortion; Reproductive immunology; Lymphocytes; Cellular immunity; Infertility
