EXAMINATION OF THE IMMUNITY STATUS OF PRE GNANT-WOMEN, IN PARTICULAR THOSE WITH PREMATURITY SYMPTOMS

In this study it could be shown that pregnant women having a normal co urse of pregnancy had significantly higher levels of T-lymphocytes and T-helper cells compared with non-pregnant women. Also other parameter s belonging to cellular immune defence showed a similar - in the sense of an improved immune function - trend (even though this was not stat istically significant). In pregnant women with symptoms of threatened prematurity significantly lower levels for lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes and T-helper cells were measured than in women who had a normal course of pregnancy. The ratio was also clearly reduced - in those cases whe re later preterm labour did actually occur it was particularly low at 1.1. In the group of pregnant women with premature labor the number of those who found the situation ''very stressful'' amounted to 65% and in the group whose course of pregnancy was normal, the percentage was 26%. The results of this study point to the fact that in pregnant wome n with premature labor the immune function is often impaired and it ca n be assumed that this provides favourable conditions for ascending in fections which then cause a higher risk of prematurity. Further studie s should be made concerning the causal. connections which we have post ulated between physical and psychological overstrains and impairment o f the immune function.