Kisspeptin Hormone Could Lead To Safer Fertility Treatment Glasgow

Online, August 4, 2013 (Newswire.com) - A baby born in April has brought new hope to fertility treatment Glasgow patients undergo. The mother of the baby was given the naturally forming hormone Kisspeptin instead of the usual array of fertility drugs and scientists have said that the success of the trial could mean safer IVF treatment. Currently, around 5% of IVF mothers suffer from the moderate form of a disease called Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome, but more commonly referred to as OHSS. By replacing fertility drugs with Kisspeptin researchers believe that it will eliminate the risk of developing this condition.

IVF is typically considered a safe form of fertility treatment Glasgow couples can undergo, but there are some risks. OHSS is a potentially life threatening disease when contracted in its severest form. This means that 1% of women that undergo IVF are in serious risk and will typically have to endure a 5 to 6 week stay in hospital. Most prospective mothers view this as an acceptable risk but removing the risk altogether would make the process safer and would also help to reduce the potential costs of NHS IVF treatment.

Kisspeptin, like fertility drugs, are used to stimulate the production of eggs in the mother. For those women that suffer from the condition called polycystic ovary condition, the risk of developing OHSS is larger and it is this group of women that the naturally forming hormone would benefit especially. However, researchers say that they are now looking at the possibility of using the hormone across all IVF treatments to help reduce the risks associated with undergoing the procedure.

In April, a healthy baby boy weighing 7.15bs was born in Hammersmith Hospital who, along with Imperial College in London were responsible for the trial. The Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research funded the work. While a drug company would ordinarily fund such research, there was no drug company involved in this instance because of the relatively low number of people that are affected and that would be affected by the proposed changes to the current process.

The process was proven to be successful in the production of eggs, too, albeit in a test relying on limited numbers of subjects. 30 women were given Kisspeptin and 29 of them successfully produced eggs as a result. Embryos developed in 28 of the 29 women and 11 tested positive in pregnancy tests conducted 12 days after the trial began. These women were not considered high OHSS risk but were chosen to determine the efficacy of using Kisspeptin during the IVF procedure.

Thousands of couples rely on fertility treatment Glasgow procedures like IVF in order to assist them in becoming pregnant. Louise Brown was the first IVF baby to be born in 1978 and it is believed that around 5 million babies have been born using these techniques since. The use of Kisspeptin could see these numbers increase because of the reduced costs associated with the hormone and also because of the reduced health risks that would accompany the new procedure.