Lack of stem cells in the womb's lining is to blame for recurrent miscarriages that thousands of women go through, said researchers from the University of Warwick.
In a study published in the journal Stem Cells, the researchers detailed the results of their work, their discovery hopefully taking them a step closer to helping develop treatments that can put a stop to recurrent miscarriages.
A recurrent miscarriage is defined as the loss of at least three pregnancies consecutively.
According to Jan Brosens, the research team leader, they discovered that patients who have suffered recurrent miscarriages have womb linings that were already defective prior to their pregnancies. The researchers believe that, by fixing this defect, miscarriages can be prevented.
For the study, the researchers gathered womb lining samples from 183 women receiving treatment from the Implantation Research Clinic, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
They found that samples from women who have suffered recurrent miscarriages didn't have the epigenetic signature typical of stem cells. Upon further examination, the researchers saw that fewer stem cells were detected in the womb lining of patients that have had recurrent miscarriages compared with the control group for the study.
According to the researchers, the shortage of stem cells spurs cells in the womb to age, and a womb's capacity to renew its lining is highly dependent on the population of stem cells present. While the inflammatory response prompted by aging stem cells facilitates an embryo's implantation, it does not promote further development.
"The real challenge now is to develop strategies to increase the function of stem cells in the womb lining," said Siobhan Quenby, one of the authors of the study.
In the spring of 2016, the researchers are planning to pilot new interventions that will improve womb lining, following a two-step approach. First, they will seek to improve how women at risk of recurrent miscarriages are screened by creating new and better endometrial tests. Second, they are looking to explore medications and other interventions already in place that promote more successful implantation of embryos.
In addition to Brosens and Quenby, Emma Lucas, Sascha Ott, Nigel Dyer, Eric Lam, Keisuke Murakami, Satoru Takeda, Yie Hou Lee, Jerry Chan, Gnyaneshwari Patel, Yi-Wah Chan, Jonathan Moore, Giulia Grimaldi, Paul Brighton and Joanne Muter also contributed to the study.
Photo: Tatiana Vdb | Flickr
