Into the Womb: The Immunology of Pregnancy

The fundamental task of our immune systems is to recognize foreign objects in our bodies and destroy them. But what happens when there’s an object inside you that’s half foreign and half you? What happens when you’re carrying a fetus?

We were all once fetuses and we all made it past our mother’s immune systems and into this world. How that all works has puzzled scientists for decades. So much so that it’s led to the formation of the field of pregnancy immunology. We chat with scientists Dr. Gabrielle Rizzuto and Dr. Susan Fisher to unpack this conundrum and many others. Join us on a journey back into the womb!

This episode was produced by Julianne Riggs, Maggie Colton Cove and Kie Shidara. Cover art was created by DALL-E. You can find the pdf of this transcript here.

The views and opinions of the RCO expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Regents of the University of California, UCSF, UCSF Medical Center, or any entities or units thereof.