Inflammation is how the immune system responds to stressors like injury or infection. The acute inflammatory response is important for your health, allowing wounds to heal and helping the body to overcome infections. If inflammation is chronic, however, it disturbs and imbalances normal physiological processes. Over time, the immune system imbalance from chronic inflammation can lead to early aging, degenerative disease, and fertility problems. In fact, I feel that many fertility concerns are tied to inflammatory processes and immune system imbalance. Many of my peers will argue this not to be the case. But… I will say it again- absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The data shows: Increased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels have recently been reported in a study to reduce fecundity in healthy eumenorrheic women with a history of 1-2 pregnancy losses. As subclinical systemic inflammation may impede maternal immune tolerance, implantation and embryonic development might be compromised.
My feeling is why wait until a patient experiences 1 or 2 losses. Why not know prior that CRP is elevated and plan accordingly? CRP along with LDL/HDL is a test we should all have annually tested for overall cardiovascular health. But I digress…. Inflammatory markers when elevated (CRPhs), in my opinion, serves as a causative factor for the substantial proportion of miscarriages that reveal normal karyotypes after analysis of products of conception (POCs).
Dr. C
