Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep;12(3):129-133.

Effects of Dehydroepiandrosterone on In Vitro Fertilization Among Women Aging Over 35 Years and Normal Ovarian Reserve

Fatemeh Mostajeran  1 , Hatav Tehrani  1 , Elham Ghoreishi  1
Affiliations

Effects of Dehydroepiandrosterone on In Vitro Fertilization Among Women Aging Over 35 Years and Normal Ovarian Reserve

Fatemeh Mostajeran et al. J Family Reprod Health. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: The fertility potential of women declines with aging and the likelihood of infertility and stillbirth increase. Treatment protocols involving dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) provide pathways on improving fertility and live birth rate. This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effect of DHEA on In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) outcomes in women over 35 years and normal ovarian reserve. Materials and methods: One hundred and six consecutive women with advanced reproductive age undergoing IVF due to infertility were enrolled in the study. Participants in the intervention group received 75 mg/day of DHEA orally 8 weeks before starting the cycle of ovulation induction. Participants in placebo group received placebo tablets during the same period. After 8 weeks, routine procedure of IVF was initiated then Clinical pregnancy, Miscarriage, Endometrial thickness and Duration of stimulation were evaluated for all the participants in both groups. Results: There is no significant difference between groups in terms of age and BMI. Mean endometrial thickness was significantly lower in DHEA group (9.63 ± 0.70vs.8.05 ± 0.70; p < 0.001) while Duration of stimulation was higher (8.98 ± 1.29vs.10.59 ± 1.43; p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between pregnancy rate, and miscarriage rate of the groups. Conclusion: According to the result of this study, DHEA supplementation may improve IVF outcomes in infertile women. Although additional larger and placebo-controlled studies using different DHEA protocols are required to support our present findings.

Keywords: Dehydroepiandrosterone; IVF; Infertility.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart Consort
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of endometrial thickness and duration of stimulation between two study interventions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Broekmans F, Soules M, Fauser B. Ovarian aging: mechanisms and clinical consequences. Endocr Rev. 2009;30:465–93. - PubMed
    1. Tartagni M, Cicinelli MV, Baldini D, Tartagni MV, Alrasheed H, DeSalvia MA, Loverro G, Montagnani M. Dehydroepiandrosterone decreases the age-related decline of the in vitro fertilization outcome in women younger than 40 years old. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2015;13:18. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cabry R, Merviel P, Hazout A, Belloc S, Dalleac A, Copin H, et al. Management of infertility in women over 40. Maturitas. 2014;78:17–21. - PubMed
    1. Arlt W. Dehydroepiandrosterone and ageing. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004;18:363–80. - PubMed
    1. Casson P, Lindsay M, Pisarska M, Carson S, Buster J. Dehydroepiandrosterone supplementation augments ovarian stimulation in poor responders: a case series. Hum Reprod. 2000;15:2129–32. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources