Saliva virus infertility
Infertility May Be Connected to Kissing in Saliva
Many things have been connected to fertility problems before. These include poor eating habits and caffeine and alcohol consumption. There’s brand new addition to this list, however, and that’s kissing.
Scientists think that they may have came across a connection between a little known virus and mystery infertility, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
They think that people can contract this virus through kissing. The people behind the study have indicated that this information may be positive for women who are having a hard time conceiving.
Italy’s University of Ferrara has a group of researchers who have been assessing the uteri of women who have been dealing with primary fertility problems that are inexplicable. They came to the conclusion that 43 percent of these individuals had a human herpes virus by the name of HHV-6A. This virus did not appear in the women they assessed who lacked fertility issues. Infertility is a problem that exists in roughly six percent of all women who are between 15 and 44 years in age. Many women have no idea why they’re unable to conceive. They often, because of that, turn to stressful and costly fertility procedures. IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is one example. When women receive IVF treatment, they do not know if it’s going to be effective.
“Viral infections have been considered as possible environmental factors in human infertility,” said the study’s authors. “In particular, herpes viruses have been implicated in male infertility, but no specific virus has yet been conclusively identified as associated with female infertility.
Saliva virus not the first virus linked to kissing
Herpes viruses have in the past been connected to fertility troubles in men. However, there hasn’t before been an individual virus that has been successfully connected to female infertility. Roberta Rizzo is the head of this new research. She thinks that these studies may be able to pave the way for potential infertility advancements.
“Indeed, there are several potential mechanisms by which HHV-6 might induce female infertility. Viral infections might trigger eNK cell functional modifications that could also induce aberrant expression of cytokines thereby promoting a dysfunctional uterine environment.”
