M.D. They are antibodies that have been associated with systemic disease and with pregnancy loss. Normally, antibodies are produced by your immune system to fight infectious disease. They can also be produced in the process of rejecting a transplanted organ or skin that's grafted on the surface of the body. You continually acquire the ability to make new antibodies and, over time, you may develop antibodies to your own tissues or cells.
Some people develop antibodies to molecules that are called phospholipids.
These antibodies are called antiphospholipids. There are many types of antiphospholipids and anticardiolipins were the first type to be linked with pregnancy loss. Phospholipids are fatty molecules on cell membranes that help maintain the proper balance between bleeding and clotting. If antibodies block the phospholipids from being able to bind to their necessary sites of activity, the phospholipids will no longer be available to help regulate the balance of blood flow and clotting. As a result, blood clots may form anywhere in your body.