Antiphospholipid Antibodies

We had a doctor's appointment earlier today and found out some more things. After running a few preliminary blood tests, we've learned that the placental abruption took place as a result of a small placenta. There are several reasons for a small placenta, from a bad implantation to the uterus, to high blood pressure, and finally as a result of antibodies.

For Kari, the small placenta was a result of the antibodies. The immune system is comprised of white blood cells which make a variety of antibodies. Some antibodies protect us and others are harmful to our bodies. The antiphospholipid antibodies can damange the inside of the blood vessel wall, which allows blood cells to stick to the site of the injury and cause blood clots. In addition, the antibodies can cause blood vessels to constrict, causing decreased blood flow throughout the circulatory system. The combination of blood clots and constricted blood vessels may impair blood supply to the fetus and placenta. There is more to this that I won't go into, but suffice it to say that antibodies to phospholipid molecules can interfere with the development of the placenta.

These antibodies are not usually tested for during pregnancy, since it's rare. Our doctor mentioned that he only sees it once every 5-7 years. But up until the point of the abruption, everything was normal and healthy and it could not have been detected. All pregnancies have some sort of reaction against the fetus as it has a component of a "foreign object" (the paternal side of things) but it's just a matter of when the reaction occurs, as some may develop later, and some not at all. The trick is to understand how the mother's immune system is altered so that her body does not reject the fetus and allows the fetus to grow. There are many other antibodies that are important to the reproductive system, but the one that affected us was the antiphospholipid antibody.