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Virus infection is a trigger for many women's infertility
It seems finally an explanation for the infertility of many women worldwide. A virus in the uterine lining of women can often be responsible for an unexplained infertility. Researchers have now found that HHV-6A infection appears to massively affect the fertility of many women.
If women are unable to have children, there can be many different reasons. Often, however, one possible cause remains unclear. Researchers from the University of Ferrara have now found in an investigation that the so-called HHV-6A virus could be responsible for infertility in a large number of women. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "PLOS one".
Many women in the world are unable to have a baby. Reasons are difficult or even impossible to determine. However, doctors now discovered a virus that is found in many infertile women. (Image: RioPatuca Images / fotolia.com) New diagnostic tool could help many women with imprudence
In the UK alone, according to the researchers, about 3.5 million couples with children do not produce any offspring. The cause remains unexplained in about a quarter of these cases, researchers say. However, the findings of the new study may help physicians resolve this issue in the future. A prerequisite is a new diagnostic tool for female infertility that detects viral infections.
Little is known about the HHV-6A virus
About HHV-6A is still relatively little known. The virus was discovered in 1986 and is among the nine human herpesviruses, say the authors. It is generally not found in the blood or saliva of the patient. Therefore, the number of people with a virus in the population is relatively unknown, the experts add.
Previous studies have linked HHV-6A to miscarriage and other problems
There have been previous studies linking the presence of HHV-6A DNA with miscarriage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and premature rupture of membranes. But at that time, no impact on women's fertility could be found, say the scientists.
About 43 percent of infertile women carried the HHV-6A virus
In their new study, the authors analyzed the samples of the uterine lining of thirty women. These all suffered from unexplained infertility, explain the scientists. In 13 of the participants, the HHV-6A virus was detected. This value is equivalent to about 43 percent of all infertile women in the test. In fertile women, the virus could not be found at all, add the doctors.
HHV-6B virus is more prevalent in the population than HHV-6A
It was unusual to find the traces of HHV-6A in the uterus of so many women. The virus is rarely found in the general population, compared to the very similar virus HHV-6B, the scientists explain. This was more often found by controls in the peripheral blood of patients. For this reason, the physicians now suspect that HHV-6A could be responsible for the infertility of many women.
Women with HHV-6A infection also have a high estradiol level
The scientists also found a strong correlation between the level of estradiol and existing HHV-6A infections. Women with the virus were more likely to have a high estradiol level. Also found were abnormal levels of cytokines that regulate the interactions between the cells. It may be interesting to further study these anomalies to better help women with unexplained infertility, the researchers report ... If the results are confirmed, a large number of infertile women could be helped in the future, the study authors continue.
Doctors are testing whether drugs for herpes virus 5 also help with HHV-6A
Future research could find effective treatment against the infection. However, there are currently no approved drugs specifically developed for HHV-6A or HHV-6B. This is why doctors often prescribe medications that are actually intended to treat so-called herpes virus 5 infections. If we can find out if such antiviral treatment in women with HHV-6A can help with uterine infections, this would be a big step in the fight against infertility, the researchers explain. (As)