Can the menopause be reversed using platelet-rich plasma treatment?

Preliminary data was presented this month at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting in Helsinki, Finland, which claims to have reinitiated menstruation and enable egg collection in post menopausal women. The work was carried out at the Greek fertility clinic Genesis Athens, and took 30 women aged 46-49 for the treatment in which they claim two-thirds of these women have managed to have their eggs isolated and fertilised.

The treatment involves the injection of Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into the ovaries. PRP can be isolated from a person’s blood to isolate fibrin and specific growth factors – these are molecules that stimulate the growth of blood vessels and tissue. PRP has been previously used in attempts to speed up the repair of damaged muscles and bones, though the treatment has yet to been proven effective. Previous studies using PRP in tendons concluded that “PRP might act by inducing a transient inflammatory event, which could then trigger a tissue regeneration response.”

When PRP was injected into the ovaries of menopausal women, it was claimed that their menstrual cycles restarted, and enabled clinicians to collect and fertilise the eggs that were released. Sfakianoudis, a gynaecologist at the clinic which carried out the study, stated “It seems to work in about two-thirds of cases. We see changes in biochemical patterns, a restoration of menses, and egg recruitment and fertilisation.” The team has not yet implanted any embryos in post-menopausal women, but hopes to do so in the near future.

“I had a patient whose menopause had established five years ago, at the age of 40,” says Sfakianoudis. The woman experienced her first period since menopause six months after the team injected PRP into her ovaries.

Many experts have expressed caution that a study such as this needs far more evidence as a treatment before being offered and indeed that animal studies should have taken place before testing on humans.

“It is dangerous to get excited about something before you have sufficient evidence it works,” says Virginia Bolton, an embryologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. “New techniques often find their way into the fertility clinic without strong evidence, thanks to huge demand from people who are often willing to spend their life savings to have a child”.

Sfakianoudis and his team want to now conduct larger studies to understand how effective the treatment is.

Read more:

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/2/303

Menopause

menopause prp reversing menopause