Scientists have discovered a fertility hormone that prepares the womb's lining for pregnancy. The discovery made by testing tissue from women aged in their forties could help scientists develop ways to improve fertility. Each month, as part of the menstrual cycle, hormones send chemical signals to cells in the womb lining to create conditions to support pregnancy.
Fertilised eggs are extremely sensitive to changes in the womb lining, but the exact environment needed for healthy implantation is unknown. The hormone helps prime cells for implantation, a vital stage in early pregnancy when a fertilised egg attaches to the womb lining. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested the effects of a hormone known as DHEA on healthy tissue donated by women undergoing unrelated surgery.
DHEA may boost pregnancy, rates in women trying to conceive naturally or through IVF. They found that treating womb lining cells with DHEA in a dish doubled the level of key proteins associated with healthy implantation in the tissue. DHEA treatment also increased the production of active androgens hormones found in high levels in men.
The study also suggests that levels of DHEA-which are known to decline significantly with age could play a role in infertility in later life. A fertilised egg will implant only if the conditions are just right and DHEA and androgens might improve this environment in cells.
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