February 09, 2016
ScienceNews reporter Laura Sanders, who is both a mother and a daughter, highlights scientific research suggesting fetal cells are woven into their mothers' bodies well beyond birth and can have lifelong effects on women's health.
This process, called fetal-maternal microchimerism, suggests that fetuses may offer up "young, potentially helpful cells" to serve women past pregnancies.
For example, fetal cells have the potential to be converted into a variety of cells that can help repair organ damage.
"When the heart is injured, fetal cells seem to flock to the site of injury and turn into several different types of specialized heart cells. Some of these cells may even start beating," Sanders writes, adding, "maybe this is a way for a child to give back to the mother, in a sense."
Sanders also shows how these cells may harm women, including potentially playing a role in autoimmune disorders.
Read the full report at ScienceNews.
