facilitating tissue repair of the damaged organ. Moreover, fetal immune cells have also been frequently found in breast cancer stroma as compared to samples taken from healthy women. It is not clear, however, whether fetal cell lines promote the development of tumors or, contrarily, protect women from developing breast carcinoma. Systemic lupus erythematosus The presence of fetal cells in mothers can be associated with benefits when it comes to certain autoimmune diseases. In particular, male fetal cells are related to helping mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus. When kidney biopsies were taken from patients with lupus nephritis, DNA was extracted and run with PCR. The male fetal DNA was quantified and the presence of specific Y chromosome sequences were found. Women with lupus nephritis containing male fetal cells in their kidney biopsies exhibited better renal system functioning. Levels of serum creatinine, which is related to kidney failure, were low in mothers with high levels of male fetal cells. In contrast, women without male fetal cells who had lupus nephritis showed a more serious form of glomerulonephritis and higher levels of serum creatinine. The specific role that fetal cells play in microchimerism related to certain autoimmune diseases is not fully understood. However, one hypothesis states that these cells supply antigens, causing inflammation and triggering the release of different foreign antigens. This would trigger autoimmune disease instead of serving as a therapeutic. A different hypothesis states that fetal microchimeric cells are involved in repairing tissues. When tissues get inflamed, fetal microchimeric cells go to the damaged site and aid in repair and regeneration of the tissue. Thyroid disease Fetal maternal microchimerism may be related to autoimmune thyroid diseases. There have been reports of fetal cells in the lining of the blood and thyroid glands of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. These cells could become activated after delivery of the baby after immune suppression in the mother is lost, suggesting a role of fetal cells in the pathogenesis of such diseases. Two types of thyroid disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD) show similarities to graft vs host disease which occurs after hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Fetal cells colonize maternal tissues like the thyroid gland and are able to survive many years postpartum. These fetal microchimeric cells in the thyroid show up in the blood of women affected by thyroid diseases. Sjögren syndrome Sjögren syndrome (SS) is autoimmune rheumatic disease of the exocrine