Robert Cincotta: Fetal Vulnerability in Anti-Ro/SSA and Anti-La/SSB Antibody-Positive Pregnancies
Robert Cincotta, Director and Founder at QUFW, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Zeinab F. Saleh et al. published in AJOG:
“For years, one question has stayed with me.
Why do anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies which maybe present for decades in women with Lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome, leave the mother’s heart untouched, yet during a narrow window of fetal development can permanently damage a baby’s cardiac conduction system?
We know the outcome too well: irreversible complete heart block, pacing in infancy, lifelong consequences and sometimes, loss.
The devastation is real, yet strikingly selective.
Around 2% of antibody-positive pregnancies are affected. If a woman has had one affected child, the recurrence risk in a subsequent pregnancy rises to nearly 20%.
The explanation lies in fetal vulnerability.
During mid-gestation, the fetal conduction system is still forming. Maternal autoantibodies cross the placenta, trigger inflammation, and ultimately fibrosis of the AV node. The mature maternal heart with stable calcium channel expression and structural redundancy, simply isn’t susceptible in the same way.
That biology matters. Because it gives us a therapeutic foothold.
A recent AJOG expert review looks at clinical outcomes and safety evidence for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in pregnancy. Beyond its established role in lupus, HCQ is safe in pregnancy and significantly reduces recurrence of congenital heart block in anti-SSA/SSB positive pregnancies.
For me, the take home message isn’t just about a medication.
It’s about understanding why the fetus is uniquely vulnerable and how aligning therapy with developmental biology can change outcomes.”
Title: Hydroxychloroquine in systemic lupus erythematosus, anti-SSA/SSB, and antiphospholipid antibody-positive pregnancies
Authors: Zeinab F. Saleh, Emily C. Somers, Vivian C. Romero, Wendy Marder
Read the full article.
Stay updated on all scientific advances in the field of fertility with Fertility News.
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:49How ESHRE 2026 Is Shaping the Future of Reproductive Medicine? – Umana Fertility
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:48Sujoy Dasgupta: Honored to Present Our Research at ESHRE 2026!
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:42Hrishikesh Pai: A Fitting Close – From ESHRE Science to Cambridge Scholarship
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:33Understanding Progesterone Support in Early Pregnancy – Fertility Plus
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:28Sujoy Dasgupta: APHRODITE Concept and Male Fertility Research Highlighted at ESHRE
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:24Aumatma Simmons: Losing Weight Too Fast Can Backfire
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:21This Month’s F and S On Air Podcast Episode Has Been Posted – Fertility and Sterility
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:17Etiology of Thin Endometrial Lining and Euploid Single Embryo Transfer Outcomes – RBMO
-
Jul 12, 2026, 16:12Shreyasi Sharma: Seeing a Former Fellow Return to Her Community to Champion Fetal Medicine