July 12, 2016.
According to a study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Ferrara, Italy, an unrecognized virus has been found in 43% of women who suffer from infertility.
43% of infertile women affected by the virus
Female infertility could be caused by a virus. This is what reveals an Italian study published in the journal PLOS One. According to this study, 4 out of 10 women who fail to have children are infected with a virus hitherto unknown: HHV-6A, from the herpes virus family.
To achieve these results, the researchers followed 30 infertile women and 36 fertile women. Infertile women had a normal health check. And it appeared that the HHV-6A virus was present on the endometrium of 43% of infertile women. On the other hand, there was no trace of this virus in women who did not have fertility concerns.
While female infertility is explained in most cases by dysfunction of the ovaries, endometriosis or atrophy of the fallopian tubes, in 10% of cases, doctors cannot find the causes. The discovery of this virus could therefore be an interesting lead.
An important discovery for research
” It is a surprising discovery but which can be important “, Estimated Anthony Komaroff, co-author of the study. ” If confirmed, it could lead to treatments that will improve outcomes for many infertile women. According to the researchers, this virus would trigger an immune reaction which would destroy any foreign body in the uterus.
But at this stage, it is still too early to say exactly what the virus is doing in the body. “ There are several mechanisms by which HHV-6A can induce female infertility ”, Note the authors of the study. If, however, this hypothesis was confirmed, finding a way to fight the virus would be a new challenge for researchers.
Read also: Infertility: can it also be in the head?
