Immunology and immunopathology of reproduction

This review is dealing with the roles of the immune system in the development and functions of the male and female reproductive systems. Further, it describes the topical views on the roles of immunopathologic events and mechanisms involved in the male and female infertility, recurrent abortions, endometriosis, EPH gestosis and disorders of fetal development. Particular attention is paid to the complicated immunological cross-talk and interplay between the mother and its offspring, including the active role played by the placenta and mainly the trophoblast tissue, in the course of gestation. In the light of the "immunotrophic theory", maternal immune responses to foreign fetal components, occurring in normal pregnancies, within the limits of "tolerated" or even beneficial levels, are described. Emphasis is given on the possible deregulation of materno-fetal immunological balance, leading to immunopathological events and putting in danger the overall reproductive capacity of the couple. The contemporary therapeutic--mainly immunological--approaches to the main reproductive failures are also mentioned.