Researchers use the safest method to stimulate ovulation in women undergoing IVF treatment -
The researchers successfully used a new and potentially safer method stimulate ovulation in women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment.
Twelve babies were born after their mothers received an injection of kisspeptin natural hormone for their eggs to mature.
doctors usually administer another hormone, hCG, for this purpose, but in some women, there is a risk that this may overstimulate the ovaries, with potentially deadly consequences.
scientists from Imperial College London and clinicians at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust tested the new method in 53 healthy volunteers at Hammersmith Hospital in London. The study, funded by the Medical Research Council, the National Health Research Institute and the Wellcome Trust, is published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation .
One in six couples in the UK experience infertility, and 48.147 women underwent IVF treatment in 2011.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) affects about a third of patients IVF mildly anemic, causing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Less than 10 percent of patients experience moderate to severe OHSS, which can cause kidney failure
Waljit Dhillo Professor, Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, who led the study, declared:. "SHO is a medical major problem. It can be fatal in severe cases and it occurs in women undergoing IVF treatment who are otherwise very healthy. We really need more effective natural triggers for the maturation of eggs during IVF treatment, and the results of this trial are very promising. "
kisspeptin is a natural hormone that stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones within the body. Unlike hCG, which remains in the blood for a long time after an injection, kisspeptin is decomposed more rapidly, which means the risk of hyperstimulation is lower.
Women in the study had a single injection of kisspeptin to induce ovulation. 51 participants developed mature eggs on 53. Forty-nine women had one or two fertilized embryos transferred to the uterus, and 12 became pregnant, which is a good result compared to the standard conventional IVF therapy.
The researchers will now conduct a second study in women polycystic ovaries, which have the highest risk of OHSS.
"Our study showed that kisspeptin can be used as a trigger for physiological maturation of eggs in IVF treatment," said Professor Dhillo. "It was a joy to see 12 healthy babies born using this approach. We will now do more studies to see if kisspeptin reduces the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation in women who are more prone to develop in order to improve the safety of IVF therapy. "
Alison and Richard Harper was a little boy, Owen, in October 2013 after taking part in the trial in January.
" We participated because we wanted to pay forward in back to the people who made it possible for us to have a child by in vitro fertilization, "said Alison
." I went through several cycles of IVF before, but this test was the least uncomfortable - it was less painful and I felt less swollen the staff we met were amazing. ".
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