A drug that could extend women’s fertility by five years by slowing the ageing of the ovaries is being hailed as a “dream come true” by experts.
Researchers at Columbia University in the US are investigating the use of rapamycin, currently a treatment for cancer.
It is also given to kidney transplant recipients to prevent the body from rejecting the new organ.
Now it is hoped that the drug can delay menopause, increase fertility and reduce the risk of age-related diseases. Early results are promising.
The Columbia study will eventually include more than 1,000 women. There are now 34 participants, ages 35 and under, and more women are joining every day.
It is hoped that the drug could delay menopause, prolong fertility and reduce the risk of age-related diseases. That means it could increase fertility by five years
‘The results of this research, the first in human history, are very, very exciting.
“It means that people with age-related fertility problems now have hope, whereas before they didn’t,” Yousin Suh, a professor of reproductive sciences and professor of genetics and development at Columbia University, told The Guardian.
“In some ways, our results are too good to be true — except we know they are true, because rapamycin is so well studied,” she added. “These results are like a dream come true.”
Early results showed it was realistic to hope that the drug could slow ovarian aging by 20 percent without women experiencing the 44 side effects that rapamycin can have, such as high blood pressure and infections, Dr. Suh said.
She said participants in the randomized, placebo-controlled study self-reported improvements in their health, memory, energy levels and the quality of their skin and hair.
These health improvements were consistent with other studies of rapamycin, which showed the drug can extend life by nine to 14 percent.
It is the first study to look at the core of ovarian aging and attempt to slow the rate at which it occurs. Previous research into menopause has focused only on the symptomatic level.
Ovaries release eggs continuously, each month women lose about 50 and only one reaches ovulation. But a small, weekly dose of rapamycin slows the ovaries down so that they release only 15 eggs per month
Dr. Suh explains that ovarian aging is a major factor in the overall aging of women.
She describes HRT as an anti-aging “band-aid” that we’re already using, but she argues that if women take rapamycin in their 30s, when their ovaries begin to decline, they could slow the entire aging process.
Ovaries continuously release eggs. Women lose about 50 per month and only one egg reaches ovulation.
But a low weekly dose of rapamycin slows the ovaries’ function, releasing only 15 eggs per month.
Zev Williams, an associate professor of women’s health and chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, who co-led the study, estimates the drug will slow ovarian aging by 20 percent.
Because rapamycin is a cheap, generic drug that is already widely used, progress will be rapid once the evidence is known, he said.
However, he explained that a larger study is needed to show that it works and that it is an expensive study.
A clinical trial of rapamycin in humans is also considered impossible, because it would take decades to see any effects on lifespan. But because ovaries age so quickly, the change could be measured over a period of just six months.
In the study, women were given a dose of 5 mg per week for three months, while transplant patients were prescribed a dose of 13 mg per day for years.
However, getting the right level is crucial, researchers say, because too high a dosage can stop ovulation altogether.
It is not known whether the quality of the follicles deteriorates as the ovaries live longer, resulting in the production of more eggs with genetic abnormalities.
Vibrant will report their findings in two years, before a much larger follow-up study takes place.
The hope is that women in their 30s will be able to visit their GP if they want more freedom over when to have children.
It is thought that women can stop taking rapamycin after menopause, but if they continue there are still broader health benefits that may make it worthwhile to continue.