Book contents
- 50 Big Debates in Reproductive Medicine
- Series page
- 50 Big Debates in Reproductive Medicine
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Section I Limits for IVF
- Section II IVF Add-ons
- 5A DHEA Is an Effective Treatment for Poor Responders
- 5B DHEA Is an Effective Treatment for Poor Responders
- 6A The Addition of LH/hCG to FSH Improves IVF Outcome
- 6B The Addition of LH/hCG to FSH Improves IVF Outcome
- 7A Acupuncture Is a Useful Adjuvant for Fertility Treatment
- 7B Acupuncture Is a Useful Adjuvant for Fertility Treatment
- 8A There Is a Role for Pre-conceptional Treatment with CoQ10
- 8B There Is a Role for Pre-conceptional Treatment with CoQ10
- 9A There Is a Role for Pre-conceptional Treatment with Vitamin D
- 9B There Is a Role for Pre-conception Treatment with Vitamin D
- 10A Natural Killer Cell Assay in the Blood Is a Useless Investigation
- 10B Natural Killer Cell Assay in the Blood Is a Useless Investigation
- 11A Intralipid Therapy Has a Place in Infertility Treatment
- 11B Intralipid Therapy Has a Place in Infertility Treatment
- 12A The Endometrial Scratch Has Had Its Day
- 12B The Endometrial Scratch Has Had Its Day
- 13A Corticosteroid Therapy Is Useful in Assisting Implantation
- 13B Corticosteroid Therapy Is Useful in Assisting Implantation
- Section III The Best Policy
- Section IV Embryology
- Section V Ethics and Statistics
- Section VI Male-factor Infertility
- Section VII Genetics
- Section VIII Ovarian Stimulation
- Section IX Hormones and the Environment
- Index
- References
5A - DHEA Is an Effective Treatment for Poor Responders
For
from Section II - IVF Add-ons
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 November 2021
- 50 Big Debates in Reproductive Medicine
- Series page
- 50 Big Debates in Reproductive Medicine
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Section I Limits for IVF
- Section II IVF Add-ons
- 5A DHEA Is an Effective Treatment for Poor Responders
- 5B DHEA Is an Effective Treatment for Poor Responders
- 6A The Addition of LH/hCG to FSH Improves IVF Outcome
- 6B The Addition of LH/hCG to FSH Improves IVF Outcome
- 7A Acupuncture Is a Useful Adjuvant for Fertility Treatment
- 7B Acupuncture Is a Useful Adjuvant for Fertility Treatment
- 8A There Is a Role for Pre-conceptional Treatment with CoQ10
- 8B There Is a Role for Pre-conceptional Treatment with CoQ10
- 9A There Is a Role for Pre-conceptional Treatment with Vitamin D
- 9B There Is a Role for Pre-conception Treatment with Vitamin D
- 10A Natural Killer Cell Assay in the Blood Is a Useless Investigation
- 10B Natural Killer Cell Assay in the Blood Is a Useless Investigation
- 11A Intralipid Therapy Has a Place in Infertility Treatment
- 11B Intralipid Therapy Has a Place in Infertility Treatment
- 12A The Endometrial Scratch Has Had Its Day
- 12B The Endometrial Scratch Has Had Its Day
- 13A Corticosteroid Therapy Is Useful in Assisting Implantation
- 13B Corticosteroid Therapy Is Useful in Assisting Implantation
- Section III The Best Policy
- Section IV Embryology
- Section V Ethics and Statistics
- Section VI Male-factor Infertility
- Section VII Genetics
- Section VIII Ovarian Stimulation
- Section IX Hormones and the Environment
- Index
- References
Summary
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is produced primarily from the adrenal gland (85%) under the influence of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and to a lesser extent by the ovaries. DHEA is an intermediate in the sex steroid pathway and is converted to testosterone and estradiol within the ovaries. The anti-ageing properties of DHEA were first described in 1996, together with the decline in DHEA with advancing age. In reproductive medicine, DHEA has been hypothesised to play a role in improving folliculogenesis through multiple mechanisms. The first report of a possible benefit from DHEA in an IVF setting was in a case report published in 2005. A 42-year-old woman with an initial diagnosis of reduced ovarian reserve and who had one oocyte retrieved in her first IVF cycle self-medicated concomitantly with over-the-counter DHEA supplements and acupuncture. Her oocyte yield was noted to be steadily increasing with each ovarian stimulation, with 17 oocytes being retrieved after her ninth stimulation attempt.
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- 50 Big Debates in Reproductive Medicine , pp. 24 - 25Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021