Sperm and imune system
Why is it that sperms are not considered foreign (antigens) by the immune system of women?
Immune System and Fertility
26 Aug By Alice Klein. Semen does more than fertilise eggs. In mice, it seems to prime the female's immune system for pregnancy, making it more likely.
31 Aug As well as fertilising the egg, semen seems to prime a female's immune system, making it more likely that an embryo will survive.
Description:Following fertilization, the placenta is formed which provides a sort of 'biological airlock' between the mother and embryo to help prevent the mother's immune system from recognizing and destroying the developing fetus. So far, the research has only been done on mice and is yet to be confirmed in humans, but it lays the groundwork for exciting new research into the subtle interactions across a wall which was previously considered to be impermeable to the immune system. It has been assumed that the explanation for this rests in the failure of semen to activate the afferent phase of the immune response by virtue of potent immunosuppressive moieties in seminal plasma. August 22, Vasectomized and seminal-vesicle-deficient SV— male mice were prepared surgically as previously described.
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