Yesterday in my Women’s and Gender Studies course, we were talking about birthing and delivery methods. Interestingly, C-sections have correlated with higher rates of health problems, such as autoimmune disease and allergies, in babies than those born through other methods. Though the studies are not definitive (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110651/) they pose policy-changing implications.
The mother passes her antibodies to the fetus during the last three months of the pregnancy. Antibodies are just large proteins that our immune system employ to identify foreign material such as viruses and bacteria (and we also use antibodies in protein tagging experimentally!). During more traditional birth methods, the mother also passes bacteria and some of these foreign materials to the baby as he leaves the birth canal, which help him develop his own antibodies. C-sections lack this introduction of foreign matter to the baby’s immune system early in his life, which may be the cause for a weaker immune system and health problems.
This is really interest, Xi! Usually when babies get sick, we think of them being exposed to the bacteria and virus filled world around us but at least, I have never considered that the issue of how strong someone’s immune system is actually starts at the time of birth.
Very cool! We were talking about this last week in my cancer genomics seminar, and my professor mentioned that adaptive immunity starts to develop late in pregnancy (like you said) but also a lot through the breast milk for a few months after they’re born, especially IgA antibodies.
wow! I never knew the development of the immune system was so late in the pregnancy cycle. This brings up the discussion about the pros and cons with new medical procedures, especially thinking in the longterm for the health of the baby.
Wow, this is really interesting! I wonder what they’re coming up with to resolve this problem, especially since a natural pregnancy is impossible for some women. And also, I can’t picture how exactly these antibodies are being “transferred” to the baby while it goes through the birth canal. Thanks for linking to the article!