Can a new hormone jab restore fertility?

By Lucy Halfhead  on Wednesday 17 March 2010

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A new hormone jab could cure infertility in thousands of women, British doctors said yesterday.

Made with a gene called ‘kiss,' it has the potential to restore fertility in some women, scientists have found, as twice-weekly injections led to long-term increases in levels of sex hormones that control the menstrual cycle.

The findings suggest a new way to treat women whose infertility is due to low sex hormones and may mean an end to invasive treatments and IVF for many.

More than 2,000 women have problems conceiving because of low sex hormone levels. But researchers from Imperial College London led by Dr Waljit Dhillo found the jab boosted vital hormone production levels 16-fold, had no side effects and showed results within two months.

Their findings have been backed by the British Fertility Society.

Dr Dhillo said: ‘Infertility is a highly distressing condition and affects up to one in seven couples in the UK. The results of our study are exciting as they show that kisspeptin may be a novel method for restoring fertility to women with certain types of infertility.'

But he added: ‘We need to carry out further work before our findings can be brought into clinical practice.'


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Wednesday 17 March 2010

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