Prolonging fertility in women

Rapamycin may be effective at extending fertility in women, according to an article published by CNN.

Couples often experience more challenges trying to start or grow their families when women are over 35, because fertility often begins to decline around that age. However, some women may experience early or premature menopause prior to the age of 45 and 40 years, respectively. Rapamycin — typically used to prevent organ transplant rejection — may be capable of postponing the time to fertility decline by about five years.

In a clinical trial, researchers assigned 50 women aged 35 to 45 years who were perimenopausal to receive rapamycin or placebo once weekly for three months. They used transvaginal ultrasounds to observe the participants’ ovarian reserves and blood tests to track their ovarian hormones.

The researchers found that by restricting the number of primordial follicles recruited and activated during each menstrual cycle, rapamycin reduced ovarian aging by about 20% without inducing any adverse effects.

In the next phase of the trial, the researchers will recruit 1,000 women. Despite the positive results of the ongoing trial, the researchers emphasized that they still need two years to complete the trial and examine the full findings before rapamycin can be utilized as a fertility treatment.

Read more: CNN

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