The human uterus is generally considered to be an immunologically privileged site that isolates the implanted allogeneic embryo from an aggressive maternal immune response. This is in contrast to the fact that the decidua, like other mucosal surfaces, must be able to respond to different types of foreign antigens, including pathogenic organisms, seminal plasma, and fetal trophoblasts (FTBs). However, during hemochorial placentation, the direct contact between FTBs (which invade uterine mucosa, the decidua) and maternal immunocompetent cells in the decidua 1 suggests that mechanisms of tolerance must exist to avoid rejection of the conceptus.The human decidua is invested with a significant (up to 75% of all major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I ϩ cells are CD45 ϩ ) and diverse population of leukocytes. 2,3 Nearly one fifth of decidual leukocytes are positive for MHC class II and are thought to be mostly macrophages. 4 The most abundant cell type of decidua are uterine-specific natural killer cells, the large granular lymphocytes (LGLs), 5 whereas T cells are sparse and B cells are virtually absent. 3,5 The decidual leukocyte population has been a center of interest for the understanding of the balance between maternal control of the extent of invasion of FTBs in the uterine wall 2-6 as well as acceptance of the allogeneic fetus in successful pregnancy.