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New research agreement between university and fertility center to study effectiveness of DHEA

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Posted by Franco Cignelli on May 9, 2012 at 12:04 pm

New research agreement between university and fertility center to study effectiveness of DHEAA new research collaboration between the Center for Human Reproduction and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD), will aim to better understand how dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) improves female infertility.

The team plans to explore the process of follicle maturation, and especially the role of androgens in female reproduction.

Lead investigators are Aritro Sen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, and Stephen R. Hammes, MD, PhD, Professor, both in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at URSMD, who have published pioneering work on the subject in rodents.

They are joined by Norbert Gleicher, MD, CHR’s Chief Scientist, and David H. Barad, MD, MS, Senior Scientist at CHR, who revolutionized infertility treatment for women with low ovarian reserve worldwide through the introduction of DHEA.

“The goal of this research collaboration is to combine complementary animal and laboratory expertise at URSMD with clinical expertise at CHR,” explains Dr. Gleicher. “By combining research in URSMD’s unique animal model and CHR’s large clinical human experience, we aim to better understand how DHEA, as well as other androgens, improve female fertility.”

“Adds Dr. Barad. “We have known for years now that DHEA improves pregnancy chances but only recently learned that this likely occurs through conversion of DHEA to testosterone. For all practical purposes, this means that the process very likely involves the androgen receptor (AR) on granulosa cells.”

DHEA is a mild male hormone used for a variety of health reasons, such as erectile dysfunction in men, low sexuality in women, and to increase muscle mass, strength and energy.

Effects of the DHEA hormone in women include increased and improved egg and embryo counts, increased pregnancy rates in fertility treatment, increased spontaneously conceived pregnancy, and improved IVF success rates. In addition, cumulative pregnancy rates have increased and spontaneous miscarriage rates have decreased among women undergoing DHEA treatment.

The new collaboration plans to be beneficial for both institutions, and clients.

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FERTINATAL™, the Much-Anticipated First DHEA Supplement for Female Fertility, Hits the Market

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Posted by Marie on April 13, 2012 at 10:38 am

FertinatalApril 13, 2012 (New York, NY) – FERTINATAL™, the first and only dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) nutritional supplement designed to enhance female fertility, has entered the market today.

The launch took longer than expected, because Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC – which developed the supplement – made unusual efforts to ensure that FERTINATAL™ DHEA for women would fulfill all of the required specifications which the product was designed for, with consistency across every tablet, according to Fertility Nutraceuticals. The required repeat rounds of quality-assurance testing at independent laboratories delayed the launch, initially scheduled for January.

“It was extremely frustrating, especially since we have seen increasing demand since we announced FERTINATAL last December,” notes Yu Kizawa, the company’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “Now, we are excited to be able to offer probably the most reliable micronized DHEA product on the market, and the only one specifically designed for women who have a difficult time conceiving.”

FERTINATAL™ was developed with strict adherence to the specifications of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR, http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com), a research-driven fertility center in New York City that introduced DHEA supplementation for women with diminished ovarian reserve. Because of the high quality standard of FERTINATAL™, CHR, the only holder of female fertility-related U.S. patents for DHEA supplementation, endorses FERTINATAL™.

“Over-the-counter DHEA products can be very inconsistent in quality, even within the same brand,” explains Norbert Gleicher, MD, medical director of CHR. “Based on the unique quality control process of FERTINATAL™, we are confident that this new product will deliver the kind of consistency and quality we, up to this point, have been able to achieve only through pharmacy-compounded DHEA by prescription.  We, therefore, feel confident in endorsing FERTINATAL™.”

FERTINATAL™ is available for purchase at $69.50 per box (a one-month supply), online at http://www.fertinatal.com.

 

About Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC
Fertiltiy Nutraceuticals, LLC, is a company specializing in nutritional supplements for women in reproductive years. The company is dedicated to developing highest-quality nutritional supplements for women with fertility problems, trying to achieve healthy pregnancies. FERTINATAL™ is the company’s first product, with additional products planned for rollout throughout 2012.

Posted in: DHEA, Fertility, Infertility, Pregnancy in Older Women
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Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC Launches FERTINATAL Micronized DHEA Supplement for Enhanced Female Fertility

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Posted by Marie on December 22, 2011 at 9:28 am

FertinatalDecember 22, 2011 (New York, NY) – Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC – a company specializing in nutritional supplements for women and female fertility enhancement – is announcing the launch of FERTINATALTM micronized dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplement.  The high-quality DHEA supplement is designed to augment female fertility.

Intrigued by anecdotal evidence received from one of their patients, physicians at New York’s Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) – a leading fertility and research center – initiated research on the relationship between DHEA supplementation and enhanced female fertility.  Although research on the effects of DHEA is still limited, the published results of CHR’s studies are encouraging.

FERTINATALTM was developed to offer the public exactly the same kind of DHEA utilized by CHR in the center’s research studies.  The product features the highest quality control standards, including a triple-step testing process with batch-testing by independent laboratories.  Furthermore, FERTINATALTM is micronized to the same particle sizes as used in those studies. The product’s three-step testing process ensures that FERTINATALTM delivers on its three promises: a plant-derived DHEA product of highest quality, micronized to appropriate sizes for good absorption.

FERTINATAL™ is the first DHEA supplement exclusively designed for women and female fertility enhancement.  To improve convenience, it is uniquely packaged in individual blister sheets, each containing seven (7) rows of three (3) daily tablets, representing one week of the suggested supply of DHEA supplementation.  Each box of FERTINATALTM contains four of these blister sheets (a four-week supply).  FERTINATAL™ is not intended for individuals under the age of 18, and potential side effects are described on the product’s packaging.

FERTINATALTM will become available exclusively through Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC in January 2012.

 

About Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC
Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC is a newly established company exclusively dedicated to nutritional supplements for women and enhanced female fertility.  FERTINATAL™ DHEA supplement is the company’s first product, with as many as 2-3 additional products expected to arrive throughout 2012.  For more information, visit http://www.fertinatal.com.

Posted in: DHEA, Miscarriage, Pregnancy in Older Women
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New York Infertility Treatment Center Receives Second DHEA Patent Regarding Use in Female Infertility

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Posted by Marie on December 20, 2011 at 9:25 am

CHRDecember 20, 2011 (New York, NY) – New York’s Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has approved a patent application for infertility treatment, serial number 8,067,400, titled “Androgen Treatments in Females.”

The claims of this allowed application – the second received based on CHR’s research of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in women with infertility – are directed to methods of decreasing aneuploidy rates (chromosomal abnormalities) in human embryos, decreasing time to pregnancy and increasing pregnancy rates by administering an androgen for at least two months.

In layman’s terms, this means that DHEA has been recognized (in this second patent issued to CHR) as an infertility treatment to increase pregnancy rates, reduce time to conception and reduce chromosomal abnormalities in embryos. DHEA is thus the first agent ever recognized to reduce chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos. Since approximately 85% of all human miscarriages are believed to be due to chromosomal abnormalities, DHEA can also be assumed to reduce miscarriage rates.

CHR investigators have already observed reductions in miscarriage risk after DHEA supplementation [Gleicher et al., Miscarriage rates after dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation in women with diminished ovarian reserve: a case control study. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2009;7:108].

“This second patent awarded to CHR only confirms the increasing importance of DHEA supplementation in female infertility, which we had the opportunity to observe through our research for over seven years,” notes Norbert Gleicher, MD, CHR’s Founder and Medical Director as well as one of the inventors listed on the DHEA patents.  He further points out that “acceptance of the claim that DHEA reduces chromosomal abnormalities in embryos offers exciting new opportunities because this observation suggests that DHEA supplementation may benefit not just women with infertility.”

Picking up on this thought, David H. Barad, MD – CHR’s Director of Clinical IVF and a second inventor listed on the patents – notes that “chromosomal abnormalities in embryos increase as women age. Therefore miscarriage rates rise in parallel. DHEA supplementation may, therefore, also be useful in older women with normal fertility who are trying to conceive on their own.” He adds that “the prenatal multivitamins of the future may also contain a little bit of DHEA.”

 

About CHR
Center for Human Reproduction (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com) is a leading infertility center in New York City with worldwide clientele, well-recognized for its major clinical research program.  The program has contributed a number of essential breakthroughs to the IVF process. Dr. Gleicher is available for further comments.

Posted in: DHEA, Fertility, Pregnancy in Older Women
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Can DHEA Reverse Premature Ovarian Failure?

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Posted by Amanda Rahi on October 13, 2011 at 12:37 pm

The mild male hormone dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA is now referenced and nicked-named as “the fountain of youth” by news reports and supplement users. While it is claimed to result in better sex, a leaner body, and more youthful skin, fertility doctors, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly interested in this hormone’s effect on reproductive function.

DHEA has been found to rejuvenate ovarian function among women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), from either advanced age or premature ovarian aging (POA). However, among women with premature ovarian failure (POF), DHEA has still not shown its effectiveness and chances of pregnancy with their own eggs remain very small.

While POA and POF sound similar, their differences are very important and the distinction is in the maximum level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Patients with FSH levels at a post-menopausal level around 40.0mIU/mL are diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, while patients that have high FSH levels and do not exceed this threshold are diagnosed with premature ovarian aging. The most important difference is that women with POA can get pregnant and have had remarkable pregnancy results with DHEA supplementation, while pregnancy among women with POF is a rare event.

Premature ovarian failure can result from a genetic condition that affects the X  chromosome, such as Turner Syndrome and Fragile X syndrome, from surgical loss of excessive ovarian tissue  or chemotherapy and radiation.

The significant results from DHEA treatment among many patients, however, keep fertility doctors curiously examining its effects. For example, the Center for Human Reproduction in New York is currently running a clinical trial of DHEA in POF patients in hopes to discover a correlation between supplementation and increased ovarian function.

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DHEA Treatment: Is This the Answer to Premature Menopause?

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Posted by admin on September 26, 2011 at 12:53 pm

The average age of menopause in the US is 51. Premature menopause refers to menopause that kicks in before the age of 40 which not only means dealing with the hot flushes, mood swings and irregular periods, but also the fact that any plans for pregnancy will now be a much greater challenge. However, the recently developed DHEA treatment could be the answer to premature menopause.

So what is DHEA?

DHEA is the most common steroid hormone, mainly produced by the adrenal glands. DHEA is metabolized into sex hormones, including estrogen, so as its production begins to decline after the age of 35, sexual function declines with it. Therefore, DHEA replacement therapy is adopted to increase the production of hormones in the body.

Why is DHEA so effective?

Because DHEA is metabolized into various hormones, it can identify which hormone is most lacking and focus on producing more. Therefore, in women suffering from premature menopause, the production of estrogen would increase. Not only is it effective in that it produces estrogen, but DHEA itself is also needed as it is associated with libido, energy levels, bone density and strength.

How can it help?

A recent study carried out by the Center for Human Reproduction in New York found that after 2-6 months of DHEA treatment in 6 cases of women with premature menopause, all women concieved. Other studies have observed improved mood, sense of well-being, and sexual activity among women. It has shown to improve IVF success rates, improve egg quality and decrease miscarriage rates.

Are there any negative side effects?

DHEA can also increase the levels of testerone, the predominantly male hormone, that can lead to increased hair growth.

Are there any positive side effects?

Not only is DHEA treatment an answer to premature menopause, it also helps in the prevention of heart disease, high cholesterol, depression, inflammation, immune disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, HIV, and osteoporosis.

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DHEA Treatment has positive results for infertility

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Posted by Amanda Rahi on September 23, 2011 at 5:33 pm

DHEA treatment has been used to successfully treat infertility and premature ovarian aging.

DHEA is a mild male hormone used for a variety of health reasons, such as erectile dysfunction in men, low sexuality in women, and to increase muscle mass, strength and energy.

The Center for Human Reproduction discovered the relationship between increased ovarian function and DHEA supplement intake in a patient that took an over-the-counter DHEA supplement on her own behalf.  During the course of four months she greatly increased her oocyte (egg) yield in an IVF treatment.

Currently, the discovered benefits of DHEA treatment are numerous and the side effects are few. Effects of the DHEA hormone in women include increased occyte (egg) and embryo counts, improved egg and embryo quality, increased available euploid (chromosomally normal) and embryos, increased pregnancy rates in fertility treatment, increased spontaneously conceived pregnancy, and improved IVF success rates. In addition, cumulative pregnancy rates have increased and spontaneous miscarriage rates have decreased among women undergoing DHEA fertility treatments.

The most common known side effects are oily skin, acne, and hair loss and are seen very rarely among patients. Instead, patients more often remark about the many positive effects they experience. The non-fertility relative benefits expressed in women include improved overall well-being and physical strength and enhanced sex drive, mental sharpness, and memory.

Given such positive results, DHEA fertility treatment has so far proven to be beneficial and safe, advancing infertility treatment and doctors’ success with patients.

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New Infertility Treatment: Dehydroepiandrosterone

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Posted by RobynNazarRN on February 17, 2011 at 4:03 pm

DHEA Infertility Treatment

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for use as an infertility treatment option is an emerging trend. Studies are showing that DHEA significantly improves pregnancy rates in women with premature ovarian failure, advanced maternal age, and diminished ovarian reserves. Infertility treatment programs utilizing DHEA are beginning to surface and their great success is paving the way to make this a standard treatment practice for infertility.

What is DHEA?

Dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, is a natural steroid hormone produced abundantly by the adrenal gland. Circulating DHEA is converted by the body into testosterone. It is available in an over-the-counter supplement form has been studied for its effects on the female reproductive system as well as cognitive function, mood, longevity, lupus, menopause, muscle growth and osteoporosis. Although available over the counter, DHEA treatment should be carefully monitored by a physician. Inappropriate DHEA use can halt ovulation, alter cycle and cause undesirable side effects including excessive hair growth and acne.

How Does DHEA Relate to Infertility?

Every woman is born with a finite number of eggs available for reproductive potential. As a woman ages her supply, or reserve, of eggs slowly decreases. Typically, by age 35 a woman’s reserve begins to drop dramatically. When the egg supply becomes very low, it is called diminished ovarian reserves (DOR). DOR is one of the most common causes of infertility in women over the age of 35. However, in some cases women under 35 may experience premature diminished ovarian reserves. One notable cause of DOR is decreased DHEA levels. Aging, stress, genetics and other lifestyle factors can negatively affect the production of DHEA, thus resulting in impaired reproductive system.

Positive Effects Of DHEA Supplementation on Fertility

A study published by Tel Aviv University in 2010 showed that women who received DHEA supplements were three times more likely to become pregnant than those who did not. The women in the study who were given DHEA had a pregnancy success rate of 23 percent as opposed to the control group success rate of 4 percent.They also discovered that of those who go pregnant in both groups, the DHEA group had significantly healthier pregnancies and deliveries.

The Center for Human Reproduction in New York has also released several studies on DHEA. Their findings have shown that DHEA significantly improves ovarian reserves as well as reduces miscarriage rates in DOR patients. Here are some of the positive fertility effects of DHEA treatment that this infertility center has reported:

  • Increases egg and embryo counts
  • Increases egg ad embryo quality
  • Decreases amount of time to achieve pregnancy in fertility treatment
  • Increases spontaneous pregnancy rates
  • Improves IVF pregnancy rates
  • Decreases miscarriage rates
  • Decreases rates of chromosomally abnormal embryos

Although the research still remains preliminary, these findings hold great promise for the future of infertility. DHEA treatment should not be used as a fertility treatment without the supervision of infertility physicians experienced in DHEA treatment programs.

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