Could cell therapy help early menopausal women with their fertility?

A breakthrough treatment that is used to help patients with liver cirrhosis, diabetes and autoimmune diseases is helping early menopausal women to rejuvenate their fertility following treatment, leading researchers in India have revealed

The treatment, known as cell therapy, has reversed the early menopause in several women and eliminated their need for Hormone Replacement Therapy, according to South Asia news agency, website, ANI Feed.

The website has reported that in one case, a 38-year-old woman, who has gone into early menopause had her ovaries rejuvenated by using cells from her own bone marrow.

Six months after the treatment, which works by injecting a small amount of cells from bone marrow into the ovary, the woman started having periods again.

Dr Prabha Mishra, who is CEO and co-founder of StemGenn Therapeutics, a company that specialises in retrieval of stem cells, said: “It is hoped that the technique can be developed into a female infertility treatment to replace HRT with a one-time surgical procedure for women who experience severe menopause symptoms.”

It has been reported there is a very large number of women in India who suffer extreme menopausal problems but avoid hormone replacement because of its link to risk of breast cancer.

“With more research and clinical studies, it is hoped that such post-menopausal women will get relief from their symptoms and benefit from this therapy. They will no longer need HRT. With this therapy, their bodies will start producing oestrogen once again,” said Mishra.

Cell therapy is being tested on patients with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), which sends one in 100 women into menopause before the age of 40. Patients with POI have menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings and vaginal dryness. If they want to get pregnant, they need to borrow eggs from healthy donors. Scientists hope to enable women with POI to regain their fertility and be able to conceive.

The treatment holds promise of treating difficult cases of female infertility, according to gynaecologists obstetricians and infertility experts.

But they are treating it cautiously. While finding it promising, they say that much more research is required before this can be seen as a solution for women who experience premature ovarian insufficiency.

Is this something you suffer with? Do you have early menopausal symptoms or have been diagnosed? We’d love to hear your story, email mystory@ivfbabble.com