“We have always known that for start a pregnancy and to complete it, you must have ovaries to make eggs and a uterus to receive the embryo. But knowing that the bone marrow also has a role to play is a game-changer “explains Dr Hugh Taylor of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University (United States).
The doctor has just shown in a published study in the journal Plos biology, that when an egg is fertilized, the stem cells leave the bone marrow and travel to the uterus via the bloodstream, where they help transform the lining of the uterus for implantation of the fetus. “If the mucous membrane fails to perform this essential transformation, the embryo cannot implant itself and the body terminates the pregnancy” explains the doctor.
Stem cells could repair a defective endometrium
In this study of mice suffering from endometriosis, the researchers found that a bone marrow transplant from a healthy donor could improve fertility by “repairing” the defective endometrium. “We are currently translating these results in humans to better understand the role of bone marrow stem cells in recurrent implantation failure and recurrent miscarriages, two unexplained conditions in the majority of women.”
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