The changes in our society have led to women wanting to have children later in life than in previous years. Unfortunately, with increasing age, the chance of achieving pregnancy naturally decreases. In this article, you will learn about a new therapeutic approach in reproductive medicine that aims to counteract the biological clock.
Until recently, the only way to achieve this was to freeze your eggs – also called social freezing. With this method, eggs are removed, frozen until fertilized later, and then inserted into the uterus as an embryo. However, this method only makes sense if it is carried out at a young age to ensure that only good quality eggs are available to the woman in the future to fulfill her wish to have a child.
Unfortunately, our daily practice has shown that many women are not informed about this method and consult a specialist very late. The oocyte reserve and quality have already decreased, making pregnancy difficult or impossible.
The only option left to fulfill the wish to have a child is egg donation. With the help of a young donor, eggs of the best quality are used; this allows us to use embryos with very high chances of success, regardless of the expectant mother’s age.
However, egg donation is only sometimes the last option. Have you ever heard of ovarian rejuvenation?
It is a new treatment aimed at boosting your follicle production.
One of the most promising treatment options uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which has a high concentration of platelet-derived growth factors and cytokines.
This method is already being used successfully in various fields of medicine (orthopedics, plastic surgery, dermatology, neurology, etc.).
In reproductive medicine, the PRP method is applied to patients with premature ovarian fatigue, low oocyte reserve associated with age, and women in perimenopause but also menopause.
It is an inexpensive, easy-to-use technique that carries almost no risks and has shown promising results in early studies.
How does the PRP treatment take place?
After a simple blood sample, the blood is centrifuged to separate the white and red blood cells and platelets. The platelet-rich plasma is then removed.
In the next step, the PRP is applied to the patient with the help of transvaginal ultrasound in a procedure similar to removing eggs.
For patients with regular cycles, PRP treatment can also be combined with IVF treatment and administered during oocyte retrieval in the ovaries. On the other hand, in patients with ovarian insufficiency who have no periods or irregular periods, treatment can occur at any time.
Although the method is not yet well known within reproductive medicine, it is considered a promising technique that some women could benefit from. Several ongoing studies are currently assessing the value of PRP treatment.
