Clinicians may someday be able to cut the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation during in vitro fertilization by using the hormone kisspeptin when maturing and harvesting eggs instead of human chorionic gonadotropin, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Imperial College of London and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust used kisspeptin at varying doses as part of the IVF protocol among 60 women at high risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The average live birth rate was 45% across all doses of the hormone. No women in the study developed moderate, severe, or critical OHSS during pregnancy.
“Kisspeptin appears to be a promising therapy and further studies are now needed to directly compare kisspeptin with currently available IVF treatments,” said Dr. Ali Abbara, the lead author of the study.
The researchers presented their findings at the Society for Endocrinology’s annual conference in Edinburgh.
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