ARE PRETERM BABIES TRYING TO ESCAPE MOM’S ‘HOSTILE’ WOMB?

 

ARE PRETERM BABIES TRYING TO ESCAPE MOM’S ‘HOSTILE’ WOMB?


In a scenario ripe for a sci-fi plot, an alien-looking fetus is jolted awake only to find out it’s been floating in a dark sac with a continuously pumping tube of blood as its only lifeline. Alarms go off, and the fetus’ immune system sends out all its troops to fight off this foreign entity and escape.

This strange-sounding scenario may seem far-fetched, but it could be similar to what happens when a baby is born too soon. In many cases, doctors don’t know exactly what triggers a mother’s premature labor. But a new study suggests that, sometimes, it may happen because the baby’s immune system essentially “rejects” the mother, like a person’s body rejects a transplanted organ.

The findings go against the traditional view of the baby’s immune system, which was thought to be too young, or immature, to cause such a problem.

But the new study suggests that in some cases, “the fetal immune system ‘awakens’ prematurely and may trigger labor,” says senior study author Dr. Tippi MacKenzie, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Division of Pediatric Surgery.

In particular, this may happen if a woman has a silent infection (meaning it doesn’t cause symptoms), which then arouses the fetal immune system, the researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

However, preterm birth is linked with a number of serious complications for infants, including death. The researchers are now attempting to find biomarkers in the mother’s blood that can identify whether she is at risk for preterm labor due to the fetal immune response.

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