Foetal attraction.

Dr. David Haig (Harvard University), Dr. Charles Loke (Reader in Immunopathology, University of Cambridge) and others, argue that pregnancy is an abnormal state for the body, resulting in conflict between mother and foetus. Competition between maternal and paternal genes, designed to end in equilibrium and produce a healthy baby, can instead have adverse effects on the baby's health, while further conflict has to be resolved in the production of breast milk. This contains opiates, over-production of which can adversely affect the mother's health, while inadequate quantities cause the child to be upset. They present detailed physiological evidence in support of their case and claim that this conflict is responsible for many of the complications of pregnancy and for miscarriage.