Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2026

Multiplexed Fluorescent Immunohistochemical Staining of Four Endometrial Immune Cell Types in Recurrent Miscarriage
Published on: August 4, 2021
Immunological changes and stress are associated with different implantation rates in patients undergoing in vitro
A Gallinelli1, R Roncaglia, M L Matteo
1Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Pediatric Sciences,University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Objective:
To evaluate the possible correlation between immunological changes and implantation rates in patients who undergo in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).
Design:
Controlled clinical study.
Setting:
University hospital.
Patient(S):
Forty infertile women undergoing IVF-ET.
Intervention(S):
Stroop Color Word (CW) test, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test, blood sampling.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses to Stroop CW; circulating T, B, T-helper (CD4), and T-suppressor (CD8) lymphocytes.
Result(S):
The total number of T lymphocytes increased significantly during superovulation, resulting in significantly higher levels in subjects achieving embryo implantation than in those showing a failure of implantation. An opposite trend was observed for the activated T cells. The number of T-helper lymphocytes and the T-helper/T-suppressor ratio showed a significant increase from baseline to the time of pick-up only in patients with implantation.
Conclusion(S):
A prolonged condition of stress, which causes a decreased ability to adapt and a transitory anxious state, is associated with high amounts of activated T cells in the peripheral blood. Such a condition, in turn, is associated with a reduced implantation rate in women undergoing IVF-ET.
Related Concept Videos
Oogenesis
In Vitro Fertilization
The IVF process begins with ovarian stimulation, during which reproductive endocrinologists prescribe hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the single...
Psychoneuroimmunology: Diabetes and Cancer

