Immune deficiency?

[caryn]

This disease is characteristic of human pregnancies, and there aren't a lot of tests for factors known to predispose otherwise healthy young women to develop it, partly because a big chunk of the problem comes from your partner's genetic contribution to the pregnancy. Our Experts aren't even universally endorsing testing as necessary - because the thing about this syndrome is that it happens to humans, with awesome regularity, in first pregnancies particularly.

Once it's happened to you, you need additional monitoring in subsequent pregnancies because odds are that you'll have a successful pregnancy, but your tendency towards "breakdown of maternal tolerance" has been unmasked.

That might be genetic, might be environmental, might well be *both* - and it's utterly characteristic of human beings.

So testing will probably just tell any of us, oh look, you're human, making babies with another human. Nothing to see here, in other words. and the docs do not explain this well, in my experience anyway.

[Kamby]

I happened upon this site while looking for possible immune system issues/causes that may have lead to my body being highly suceptible to mold exposure & rare manifestations of it, but that is another long mysterious medical battle!

That being said, I have been doing TONS of research on autoimmunity disorders, causes, effects, symptoms, etc. and what I have learned is that there are not usually definitive answers for most of these questions! I do know that autoimmune disorders can react in strange ways! I have low IGG, but high complement numbers and recently had the worst reaction to a skin test the doc had ever seen. What this tells me is just because your immune system may appear "underactive", that does not necessarily correlate to a lack of response from the body. The basic meaning for autoimmune disorder is that the body's own immune system is attacking itself. To me, that sounds exactly the type of thing that would contribute to HELLP/PE, etc. But, again, we have a chicken/egg situation, because autoimmune illnesses can also be triggered by illness/injury so if any of us are suffering new issues after HELLP/PE, it seems possible to me that it could be caused by the episode. After all of my research, I am more certain than ever, that the human body is a complete mystery....even to the so-called experts!

For what it is worth, I am finding that the most reliable sources are doctors that have put their primary focus into one area (ie mold exposure related autoimmune issues). I do not know if there are any doctors that have chosen to focus on potential autoimmunities either causing PE/HELLP or resulting from it....but if so, that is probably the best place to start researching. It took me 2-1/2 years to learn in my Mold battle as I recently was directed to a doctor's website by a friend's sis-in-law who was severly exposed in military housing and sent to this doc. I saw & sort of blew off this site at the onset because his treatment seemed strange & now, after many, many tests/treatment attempts, found this doc to be the person who has the accurate info!!

For the record, I am the mother of 10 year old twin girls & suffered a fairly "easy" bout of HELLP syndrome (after reading some horror stories posted). The severe upper stomach pain started week 35, not diagnosed until week 36 as I was asymptomatic, my BP was normal as I was sent to the hospital for monitoring 2x that week! Finally, the third time I went to hospital they took blood/urine & I delivered 17 hrs later! The rest is a story for another thread!!

[tree]

Hi Kamby - Welcome to the forums! Autoimmune issues are really frustrating. Many of us could have them, but they are really tricky to diagnose.
This board is probably the only place where a Mom can have an easy bout of HELLP. We do kind of collect the worst of the worst Swing by and introduce yourself on the Ask The Experienced Board when you get a chance.