Autoimmunity & Infertility
Medically reviewed by Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS - Written by CHR Staff - Updated on Nov 15, 2014
Causes
Unfortunately, autoimmune diseases remain among the most poorly understood illnesses. It is thought that hormones play a role in inducing autoimmune diseases; some cases suddenly improve during pregnancy, others flare up during, or after pregnancy. Research also suggests that certain autoimmune diseases like thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis may be associated with early menopause.
CHR Explains
Autoimmune diseases also show a strong hereditary component, but mysteriously, can cluster in families as different conditions. For example, a mother may have lupus erythematosus; her daughter, scleroderma and her grandmother, rheumatoid arthritis. Ongoing research is attempting to shed more light on genetic, hormonal and environmental risk factors that contribute to the occurrences of autoimmune diseases.
Common Examples of Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases which affect the nervous system | Autoimmune diseases which affect the gastrointestinal tract |
Multiple sclerosis (MD Link) | Crohn's Disease (MD Link) |
Ulcerative Colitis(MD Link) | |
Autoimmune Neuropathies | Primary Biiliary Cirrhosis (MD Link) |
Guillain-Barre | Autoimmune Hepatitis (MD Link) |
Autoimmune Ureitis (MD Link) |
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Autoimmune diseases of the hematological system | Autoimmune diseases which affect the endocrine glands |
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (MD Link) | Type 1/Immune Mediated Diabetes Mellitus (MD Link) |
Pernicious Anemia, (MD Link) | Grave's Disease(MD Link) |
Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia (MD Link) | |
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| Autoimmune Adrenal Diseases |
Autoimmune diseases which affect blood vessels | Autoimmune diseases of the skin |
Temporal arteritis (MD Link) | Psoriasis (MD Link) |
Anti-Phospholipid Antibody Syndrome, (MD Link) | Dermatitis Herpetiformis(MD Link) |
Vasculitides (MD Link) | Vitiligo (MD Link) |
Wegener's Granulomatosis |
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Behcet's Disease(MD Link) |
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Autoimmune diseases which affect multiple organs (also called connective tissue diseases) Autoimmune Diseases in Women Resources |
Rheumatoid arthritis (MD Link) |
systemic lupus erythematosus (MD Link) |
polymyositis (MD Link) |
dermatomyositis scleroderma (MD Link) |
spondyloarthropathies (MD Link) |
Sjogren's syndrome (MD Link) |
Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS
Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.