Understanding How the Immune System Supports Early Pregnancy in Women Undergoing IVF

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how the maternal immune system adapts to support a healthy pregnancy during the first trimester. This observational study focuses on women undergoing in vitro fertilization IVF to understand the immune cell profiles and functional pathways that allow the mothers body to tolerate the fetus and prevent complications like miscarriage. The goal is to identify key immunological factors that contribute to successful implantation and early gestation. Participants will have blood samples collected at several specific times before embryo transfer, during the first trimester around weeks 6-7, and after a miscarriage if it occurs. These samples will be analyzed using advanced tests to examine immune cell types, their activation, and cytokine patterns. The study tracks changes over time to capture how immune regulation evolves from before conception through early pregnancy or implantation failure. During the study, participants will provide blood samples and may undergo detailed immune cell and molecular analyses, including single-cell RNA sequencing and receptor profiling of T and B cells. The main outcome measured is the immune cell composition in peripheral blood at different pregnancy stages. Researchers will monitor these immune changes to better understand maternal tolerance mechanisms, with study participation lasting through the first trimester or after miscarriage up to 12 weeks of gestation.

Mechanisms of Maternal Immune Tolerance in Early Pregnancy