In the early weeks of pregnancy, a connection is made between the mother and her growing baby as they exchange cells across the placenta. This little-known phenomenon will affect both of them for decades to come.
Microchimerism is when cells from one individual persist in another. The term means a “small chimera”; in Greek mythology, the Chimera is a creature whose body is composed of different animals. Pregnancy is the primary cause of natural microchimerism.
