Becoming and Staying Pregnant: Insights into the Early Phases of Life

The path to pregnancy and its successful maintenance is a complex biological process that requires the finely tuned interaction of numerous cellular, hormonal, and immunological factors. The present series highlights central aspects of this process – from the molecular basis of meiosis and ovarian maturation to early embryonic development and the immunological dialogue between the embryo and endometrium. Under the guiding principle Ex ovo omnia – “Everything comes from the egg” – the origin of life is systematically traced from a biological perspective.

In addition, current findings on reproductive immunology as well as implantation disorders, their diagnostics, and therapeutic approaches are presented. The four-part publication “Becoming Pregnant and Staying Pregnant” serves as a structural basis and combines theoretical principles with clinically relevant questions in reproductive medicine.