Chicken pox-style virus that lurks in the womb may have caused infertility in some women

Women who are struggling have a baby have been given hope after scientists said a mysterious virus could be to blame for many cases of female infertility. Almost half of infertile women tested were infected with HHV-6A, a chicken pox-like bug that is spread through saliva. However, none of the mothers in the study harboured the infection.

The virus lurks in the lining of the womb, where it is thought it affects proteins that help prepare the body for pregnancy.

The link has yet to be proven but it is possible that treating the bug could restore women’s fertility.

This would spare them the heartache of failing to become pregnant month after month and save them the expense of countless rounds of IVF treatment.

Latest figures show that one in eight British women has had problems conceiving, with the rate rising to almost one in five among 35 to 44 year olds.

In around a quarter of cases, doctors can find no reason for the woman’s failure to become pregnant.

Researchers from the University of Ferrara in Italy tested various samples from 30 infertile women and 36 mothers for HHV-6A.

The bug only turned up in samples taken from the lining of the womb.

And when a woman was infected, levels of immune system chemicals and cells involved in the early stages of pregnancy were skewed.

The virus belongs to the same family as the bugs that cause chicken pox, cold sores and glandular fever.

Despite being discovered 30 years ago, little is known about it.

However, some drugs that are used to treat similar infections in transplant patients may be effective against it.

This raises the prospect of testing infertile women for the germ and giving them pills to restore their fertility.

Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers said that infection is seems to be free of noticeable symptoms.

They added: ‘Overall, our study indicates that HHV-6A infection might be an important factor in unexplained female fertility.

‘However, further studies are needed to confirm the association.’

Professor Anthony Komaroff, who has studied the virus at Harvard University in the US, said: ‘This is a surprising discovery.

‘If confirmed, the finding has the potential to improve the outcome for a large subset of infertile women.’ 


Source: Daily Mail