A new study posits that a cheap hormone treatment could help boost, and even double, the odds of a couple dealing with unexplainable infertility having children.
Hormone Treatment: a Cheap Infertility Solution
Per MailOnline, the study examined couples that were going for natural conception and compared them with other couples wherein the woman made use of vaginal progesterone treatment during her menstrual cycle's latter half. Findings revealed that for women who received the hormone treatment, 15.3% (11 of 72) had babies of their own.
All of these couples dealt with unexplained infertility, which affects roughly a third of couples that are referred to services for fertility. All participating women also made use of ovulation test kits to plan intercourse over the course of three menstrual cycles.
Findings were presented during the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology's (ESHRE) annual meeting, EurekAlert reports. The authors indicate that they warrant a larger trial. They add that given the low-cost, which is less than $218 for three months' worth of treatment, and the safe nature of the treatment, the novel method could help individuals across the globe who are dealing with infertility.
Dr. Claudia Raperport, a researcher who is from the Queen Mary University of London, explains that progesterone prices are lower compared to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other treatments for infertility. Dr. Raperport adds that the method offers less clinical risk and emotional and physical burden for the involved couples.
Half of the women were granted 400mg progesterone treatments through vaginal suppositories. This was administered twice a day for 14 days. Progesterone is a sex hormone for females that has different functions. It helps the uterus prepare for a fertilized egg to be implanted post-ovulation. Hence, an artificial boost in this area could help the general process.
MailOnline adds that the use of vaginal progesterone has been safely done for over three decades. The method has led to minimal side effects alongside other treatments for fertility, like IVF.
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Infertility
According to the Mayo Clinic, infertility refers to being unable to get pregnant despite frequently having unprotected sex for at least a year for the majority of couples. In the US alone, around 10% to 15% of couples are dealing with infertility.
This condition may stem from an issue with the woman or her partner, or it may result from a mix of factors that altogether prevent pregnancy from happening.
Infertility's primary symptom is being unable to get pregnant. Otherwise, there might not be any other symptoms that are obvious. At times, however, women dealing with infertility may have absent or irregular menstrual periods. In other cases, men dealing with infertility could also exhibit hormonal problems, including changes in sexual function or hair growth.
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