H-Y antibody titers are increased in unexplained secondary recurrent miscarriage patients and associated with low male : female ratio in subsequent live births.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The birth of a boy is significantly more common than a girl prior to secondary recurrent miscarriage (SRM) and is associated with a poorer chance of a subsequent live birth. Children born after SRM are more likely to be girls. High-titer antisera specific for male antigens (H-Y) have been shown to arrest development of male bovine embryos efficiently. We consequently questioned the role of H-Y antibodies in women with SRM.

METHODS:

Serum samples from patients with unexplained SRM (n = 84), unexplained primary recurrent miscarriage (PRM) (n = 12) and healthy women (n = 37) were obtained. The samples were taken during pregnancy (gestational weeks 4-5) for 77 (80%) of the patients. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect immunoglobulin G antibodies that specifically recognized any of the five recombinant H-Y proteins (EIF1AY, RPS4Y1, ZFY, DDX3Y and UTY) and their H-X homologs.

RESULTS:

H-Y-specific antibodies were more frequent in SRM patients (46%) compared with female controls (19%, P = 0.004) and PRM patients (8%, P = 0.01). The presence of H-Y antibodies in early pregnancy was associated with a low male: female birth ratio among the subsequent live births, as only 12% of children born to H-Y antibody-positive patients were boys compared with 44% boys born to H-Y antibody negative patients (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS:

The high frequency of H-Y antibody-positive SRM patients and the association between the presence of these antibodies in early pregnancy and the low number of male offspring, suggest that maternal immune responses against H-Y antigens can cause pregnancy losses. Further exploring these mechanisms may increase our understanding of unexplained SRM.

• Authors: H S Nielsen, F Wu, Z Aghai, R Steffensen, A G van Halteren, E Spierings, O B Christiansen, D Miklos, E Goulmy
• Journal: Human reproduction (Oxford, England) (Hum Reprod) Vol. 25 Issue 11 Pg. 2745-52 (Nov 2010) ISSN: 1460-2350 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20823116 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• H-Y Antigen
• H-Y antibody
• Immunoglobulins, Intravenous
• Isoantibodies

Topics

• Abortion, Habitual (immunology)
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• H-Y Antigen (immunology)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulins, Intravenous (therapeutic use)
• Isoantibodies (analysis)
• Male
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Outcome
• Pregnancy Trimester, First
• Sex Ratio