Determined Fertility Patient's Self Diagnosis Leads to Patent for Treating Female Infertility with Male Hormones

    NEW YORK, NY, July 12, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On June 28, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued a fifth patent to The Center for Human Reproduction, a leading U.S. fertility center, for the novel use of the hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone [de-HYDRO-epi-andro-STER-ohn]) in the treatment of female infertility.

"The recognition that male hormones (androgens), like DHEA, can have a rejuvenating effect on 'older' ovaries has been one of the more important discoveries in clinical female infertility in the last decade, and has significantly improved treatment outcomes for many women with low functional ovarian reserve," said Dr. Norbert Gleicher, Medical Director and Chief Scientist at New York's Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), also Professor (Adjunct) at Rockefeller University in New York City.

Chance Discovery
The CHR team is a group of respected researchers who have published hundreds of peer-reviewed medical journal articles and also offer clinical state-of-the-arts fertility treatments that, over the decades, have resulted in the birth of almost 18,000 children. The innovation of DHEA/androgen treatments, however, sprang from the mind of an enterprising CHR patient.

In 2003, this 42-year-old woman selected CHR as her fertility center, already then known for special expertise in the treatment of older women. After a less-than-satisfactory in vitro fertilization cycle, the only treatment option left appeared to be use of donor eggs. The patient, however, requested one more attempt with use of her own eggs. Much to her physicians' surprise, she suddenly produced more and better quality eggs. After she had completed six consecutive IVF cycles (she was freezing her embryos for future use) she confessed to having been supplementing with DHEA. She had reviewed the medical literature and suspected DHEA supplementation may increase egg numbers. The CHR team's experience with this patient launched studies of DHEA at CHR that continue today.

"The utilization of DHEA and other androgens in women with LFOR has not only revolutionized how CHR treats 'older' ovaries but has become standard treatment all around the world - and it all started with one CHR patient, who now is listed as co-inventor on all of CHR's DHEA/androgen patents," noted Dr. Gleicher.

Dr. Gleicher explains more in this video on DHEA's effects on IVF outcomes.

How it Works
Over the last decade medical literature has documented the importance of androgens for normal growth and maturation of egg-containing follicles in ovaries: As women age, their androgen levels decline. CHR investigators have found that young women suffering from premature ovarian aging also demonstrate abnormally low androgen levels. Why DHEA and other androgens potentially improve egg quantity and quality in selected patients is now well understood - but was unknown when CHR started investigating DHEA.

Supplementation with DHEA is the safest form of androgen supplementation because DHEA is the physiological precursor for testosterone in the body, from which various organs produce required and organ-specific testosterone levels. Supplementing with DHEA rather than testosterone directly, therefore, results in much fewer side effects.

About Center for Human Reproduction
The Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), located in New York City, is one of the world's leading clinical and research centers in reproductive medicine and infertility. CHR has special expertise in treating women with low functional ovarian reserve, and pioneered many innovations, which have become mainstays of infertility treatments worldwide. Drs. Gleicher and Barad, two senior physicians and scientists at CHR, are available for further comments. Contact: 212-994-4400 x.4492

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