Chapter category: Reproductive Biology

Interleukin-1 and Implantation

This chapter appears in the following book:

Immunology of Pregnancy

Edited by: Gil Mor
ISBN: 0-387-30612-9
» Get more information about this book at landesbioscience.com «

Chapter authors:
Jan-S. Krussel, Jens Hirchenhain, Andrea Schanz, Alexandra P. Hess, Hong-Yuan Huang, Carlos Sim—n and Mary Lake Polan

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Infertility and pregnancy wastage affect one of every nine couples in Western Europe and in the United States. The molecular events of embryonic attachment to the endometrial epithelium and subsequent invasion and nidation into the stroma have long been of interest, scientifically to reproductive biologists and clinically to couples with infertility or habitual abortion and to the physicians caring for them. In order to achieve a successful pregnancy in the human, two major conditions have to be fulfilled: during the 4-5 days of transport through the fallopian tube, the embryo must undergo a series of complex maturation processes and, in the same time, a receptive endometrium must have developed. Human endometrium undergoes characteristic cyclic changes of proliferation and secretion and, without embryonic implantation, the endometrium is shed and the menstrual bleeding occurs. Uterine endometrium therefore is the anatomic prerequisite for the continuation of our species and its main purpose during the reproductive age is to communicate with, receive, nourish and protect the implanting blastocyst.1 Understanding the factors involved in preimplantation embryo development and embryo-maternal interaction which result in the complex maturation of the embryo and eutopic implantation is crucial for reproductive medicine. Attempts to overcome the low success rates of human in vitro fertilization therapy by increasing the number of embryos per transfer often result in multiple-gestation pregnancies. These are not only associated with increased evidence of maternal and neonatal complications, but are also cause for concern on the part of medical economists. The total costs for delivery and neonatal care for triplet-pregnancies were calculated with US$ 109,765 and assisted reproduction techniques (ART) were responsible for 77% of higher order pregnancies.2 On the other hand, even by increasing the number of embryos per transfer, the pregnancy rate will never be 100%.

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Chapter category: Reproductive Biology

Interleukin-1 and Implantation

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