AN already-existent pill could make women fertile for an extra five years and help them live longer, scientists say.
Researchers from Columbia University said early findings from their drug trials were like “a dream come true”.
The study tested whether the immunosuppressant rapamycin could help slow ovary ageing, thus delaying menopause and extending fertility.
Researchers also sought to measure whether the drug could slash the risk of age-related diseases.
At present, 34 women aged up to 35 have participated in the research, known as The Validating Benefits of Rapamycin for Reproductive Aging Treatment (Vibrant) study.
Experts hope more than 1,000 women will go on to join.
Yousin Suh, a professor of reproductive sciences, genetics and development at Columbia University who co-lead the study, said rapamycin could slow ovary ageing by 20 per cent without causing side effects.
The drug can bring on up to 44 side effects, from mild nausea and headaches to high blood pressure and infections.
But study participants reported having better memory and energy levels and said the quality of their skin and hair had improved, as per The Guardian.
Prof Suh said: “The results of this study – the first in human history – are very, very exciting.
“It means that those with age-related fertility problems now have hope when before, they didn’t.
“These early results mean we now have a clear shot at our ultimate goal: using rapamycin to extend the lifespan of the ovary and thereby delaying the menopause, while also extending the lifespan of the woman and improving her health and quality of life.”
Previous studies have suggested that the immunosuppresant – typically used to prevent organ transplant rejection – could increase people’s lifespan by nine to 14 per cent, boosting the immune system and organs that deteriorate in old age.
“In a way, our results are too good to be true – except, because rapamycin is so well-studied, we know they are true,” Prof Suh told The Guardian.
“These results are like a dream come true.”
Participants were given 5mg of rapamycin a week for three months, a much smaller dose to the 13mg a day transplant patients may be prescribed for years.
While previous research has targeted menopause symptoms, this is the first to try and address ovarian ageing, which according to Prof Suh is a “fundamental driver of ageing in women”.
She said HRT can act as a sticking plaster for ageing that’s already happened.
Meanwhile, women might be able to take rapamycin in their 30s, when their ovaries have started to decline but they don’t yet have symptoms, to slow the ageing process, Prof Suh suggested.
“Our vision is women in their 30s and older can make a simple visit to their family doctor if they want to have more freedom over when they have babies,” she said.
Ovaries tend to release about 50 eggs a month, according to researchers.
But women who took a small dose of rapamycin weekly released only 15 eggs a month, indicating that the drug could decrease ovary ageing.
Prof Suh and her co-lead Zev Williams, chief of the reproductive endocrinology and infertility division at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said this amounted to 20 per cent decrease in ovary ageing.
But it’s not yet known whether the eggs produced by longer-living ovaries are more likely to contain genetic abnormalities.
Girls are born with a fixed number of eggs in their ovaries. During adolescence, they’ll have about 400,000 but this number decreases to about 25,000 by the time they’re 37, the British Fertility Society says.
Having more eggs means you’ll have a higher chance of getting pregnant.
MORE than eight in 10 couples will get pregnant within a year if they're having regular unprotected sex.
For others, however, it may take longer.
It’s a good idea to see a GP if you have not conceived after a year of trying.
Women aged 36 and over, and anyone who’s already aware they may have fertility problems, should see their GP sooner, the NHS advises.
They can check for common causes of fertility problems and suggest treatments that could help.
Infertility is usually only diagnosed when a couple have not managed to conceive after a year of trying.
There are two types of infertility:
Treatments for infertility include medical treatments to make ovulation more regular, surgical procedures such as treatment for endometriosis, repair of the fallopian tubes, or removal of scarring within the womb, as well as assisted conception such as IVF.
What is IVF?
During vitro fertilisation (IVF), an egg is removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory.
The fertilised egg, called an embryo, is then returned to the woman’s womb to grow and develop.
It can be carried out using your eggs and your partner’s sperm, or eggs and sperm from donors.
Who can have IVF?
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines recommend that IVF should be offered to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to get pregnant through regular unprotected sex for two years.
It’s also available to women who’ve had 12 cycles of artificial insemination, with at least six f these cycles using a method called intrauterine insemination (IUI).
What are the chances of success?
Younger women are more likely to have a successful pregnancy through IVF.
It isn’t usually recommended for women over the age of 42 because the chances of a successful pregnancy are thought to be too low.
In 2019, the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was:
Source: NHS
Women could stop taking rapamycin after menopause, Dr Suh added, but they might want to take it for longer due to the drug’s wider health benefits.
All the women involved in the study also continued to menstruate as normal.
Dr Williams said: “The implication of that is that we’ve hit on the perfect dose: if we were giving too much, menstruation would become irregular or stop.”
Vibrant will report its results in two years and conduct a larger phase two study.
Because rapamycin is a cheap, generic medication – a prescription drug that has the same active ingredients as a brand-name drug – and it’s already widely used, Dr Williams said progress would be fast once evidence in its favour was established.
