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🧬 Infertility, Miscarriage & the Immune System Connection: How Autoimmunity and Gut Health Affect Reproductive Success

  • Writer: immuneline
    immuneline
  • Apr 7
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 8

Immune system role in miscarriage and infertility
Immune system plays a major role in fertility

🌿 Introduction: Infertility, Miscarriage & the Immune System Connection

If you've experienced unexplained infertility, IVF failure, or recurrent early miscarriage, your immune system may be part of the reason — even if standard fertility testing appears normal.

Science increasingly shows that autoimmune dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and even leaky gut can interfere with reproductive function: ovulation, embryo implantation, and early pregnancy maintenance. Fortunately, targeted immune modulation, gut healing protocols, and photobiomodulation therapy (PBM) can offer hope.


🧠 The Immune System’s Role in Fertility

Reproduction requires a finely tuned immune response. The maternal immune system must tolerate the embryo — a genetically distinct being — without attacking it. In people with autoimmune diseases, gut dysbiosis, or leaky gut, the immune system often becomes overreactive.

Consequences of immune dysfunction:

  • Poor ovarian response

  • Endometrial inflammation

  • Failed implantation

  • Early pregnancy loss

📖 “Immune-mediated infertility, including altered NK cell activity and autoantibodies, has been identified in patients with unexplained infertility and repeated pregnancy loss.”🔗 Jinno et al., J Reprod Immunol, 2021


🧬 Autoimmunity and Reproductive Outcomes

Autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, celiac disease, lupus, and antiphospholipid syndrome are all linked to:

  • Irregular cycles

  • Poor implantation

  • Higher miscarriage risk

Even when thyroid hormone levels are normal, the presence of thyroid antibodies alone can increase miscarriage and IVF failure rates.

📖 “Thyroid autoantibodies, even in euthyroid women, have been associated with a higher risk of miscarriage and implantation failure.”🔗 Poppe et al., Human Reprod Update, 2018


🦠 Leaky Gut and the Gut-Immune-Reproductive Axis

The gut lining is a protective barrier. When damaged, as in leaky gut, it allows toxins, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and food antigens into the bloodstream, triggering systemic inflammation and immune activation — which can disrupt reproductive balance.

📖 “Increased intestinal permeability has been implicated in systemic autoimmunity and reproductive failure, particularly through immune activation and cytokine dysregulation.”🔗 Mu et al., Front Immunol, 2022


🧪 Key Immune Factors in Fertility


1. NK Cells

High activity of uterine NK cells can lead to:

  • Implantation failure

  • Early pregnancy loss


2. Th1/Th2 Imbalance

A Th1-dominant immune profile (pro-inflammatory) has been linked to miscarriage, while Th2 dominance supports pregnancy tolerance.

📖 “Women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss often exhibit an imbalance in Th1/Th2 cytokines and heightened NK cell cytotoxicity.”🔗 Saito et al., Am J Reprod Immunol, 2021


🧼 The Role of Gut Cleanse and Immune Reset

At Regenerative Immunology, we begin many fertility protocols with a gentle gut cleanse and immune reset, designed to:

  • Reduce gut permeability

  • Lower LPS and inflammatory cytokines

  • Restore tight junction proteins (e.g., zonulin regulation)

  • Rebalance immune tolerance

This may involve:

  • Targeted prebiotics (herbal or prescription)

  • Binders for toxins or heavy metals

  • Fasting-mimicking or liver detox protocols (Milk Thistle etc.)

  • Probiotics & mucus-gut-repair nutrients (e.g., fish oil, Psyllium husk, collagen)


🔴 Red & Infrared Laser Therapy (PBM) for Fertility

Photobiomodulation (PBM) uses red (660–670 nm) and infrared (810–850 nm) light to:

  • Increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries

  • Reduce pelvic inflammation

  • Enhance mitochondrial energy in oocytes

  • Improve endometrial receptivity


PBM has been shown to improve egg quality, implantation success, and live birth rates, particularly in:

  • Women with low ovarian reserve

  • Endometriosis

  • PCOS

  • Unexplained infertility

📖 “Photobiomodulation improves implantation outcomes and modulates immune function in patients with repeated IVF failure.”🔗 Salehpour et al., Cells, 2022


📋 Our Functional Fertility Assessment Includes:

  • Autoantibodies: TPO, ANA, antiphospholipid

  • Gut permeability markers: Zonulin, LPS, calprotectin

  • Immune cell mapping: NK activity, Th1/Th2 balance

  • Hormonal and mitochondrial panels

  • Comprehensive microbiome analysis


🌸 Start Healing From the Inside Out

At Regenerative Immunology, we believe true fertility comes from balance: immune, hormonal, microbial, and energetic. If you've tried everything else, this is where healing begins. Infertility, Miscarriage & the Immune System connection is proven by research and ancient knowledge.


📚 Reference List with Snippets

  1. Jinno M. et al. (2021)."NK cell activity and autoantibodies are elevated in women with unexplained infertility."🔗 Journal of Reproductive Immunology

  2. Poppe K. et al. (2018)."Thyroid antibodies affect pregnancy even in women with normal TSH."🔗 Human Reproduction Update

  3. Mu Q. et al. (2022)."Leaky gut contributes to systemic autoimmunity and impaired fertility."🔗 Frontiers in Immunology

  4. Saito S. et al. (2021)."Th1 dominance and NK overactivation drive miscarriage risk."🔗 Am J Reprod Immunol

  5. Salehpour F. et al. (2022)."Red and infrared laser therapy improve mitochondrial function and implantation in IVF."🔗 Cells Journal




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