At my last planning meeting, my ob/gyn suggested a random method that might help boost egg numbers. This involves some HRT with tablets, a spray and oddly, a testosterone gel.
You apply it once per day at the same time, making sure it has enough time to dry/be absorbed before touching anyone or getting dressed etc. You generally apply it where it's not going to be rubbed off or in contact with another person straight away, or within 6 hours.
So this could mean areas like your stomach, thighs, shoulders or even your butt cheeks.
My ob-gyn said thighs or butt, the nurse said stomach or shoulders, the internet says upper arms or stomach and the 'information sheet I received says upper arms, shoulders and stomach and also contains a warning for me, advising not to apply it to my testes or penis which I am positive I'll be able to avoid seeing as how I don't actually have any.
Anyway, it comes in a pump form dispensing 50mg of clear gel.
Does that seem weird to use this? Isn't testosterone a male hormone? Why - yes, yes it is.
So why use it in IVF?
An article from the University of Rochester
New Study Shows Male Hormones Play an Important Role; May Enhance IVF Therapy
Monday, March 03, 2014
“There is a raging debate in the reproductive endocrinology field about what male hormones are doing in female fertility,” said Stephen R. Hammes, M.D., Ph.D.,senior study author and professor of Endocrinology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Our study doesn’t solve the controversy, but, along with some earlier seminal studies from other groups, it does tell us that we can’t dismiss male hormones. They might actually be doing something useful.”
Using multiple animal models and cell experiments, Hammes and lead study author Aritro Sen, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Endocrinology at the medical school found that male hormones promote follicle development in two ways. First, they prevent follicles from dying at an early stage. They do this by ramping up a molecule that stops cells from self destructing, a process called apoptosis. Hammes and Sen speculate that if a woman doesn’t have enough androgens (male hormones), more of her follicles may be dying and fewer progressing to a mature stage when they produce and release an egg.
Second, androgens make ovarian cells more sensitive to follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH, which promotes follicle growth. They do this by creating more FSH receptors – molecules on the surface of ovarian cells that jump start the follicle making process in response to the hormone.
“Androgens are increasing follicle growth and ensuring follicles don’t die – exactly what you want when providing fertility treatment,” noted Hammes, who is also the chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at UR Medicine’s Strong Memorial Hospital.
When the team administered small doses of androgens to mice that were taking the equivalent of medications given to women undergoing IVF therapy, they developed more mature, egg-containing follicles than mice that didn’t receive androgens. The androgen-treated female mice also released larger numbers of eggs with ovulation. IVF drugs are designed to do just that, enhance ovulation – the production and discharge of an egg or eggs from the ovary. Unfortunately, these drugs aren’t always effective in women with diminished ovarian reserve.
Medscape has this to say:
Testosterone Gel in IVF April 21, 2011
In a prospective randomised study, Kim, Howles, and Lee evaluated the effects of 12.5-mg testosterone gel pre-treatment (for 21 days) prior to the start of stimulation. The testosterone gel pre-treatment group and a control group both received 300 IU/day of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in combination with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for stimulation. Demographic and past infertility parameters were comparable.
Women in the testosterone pretreatment group required fewer days of stimulation and fewer ampules of gonadotropin. Cycle cancellation occurred with similar frequency. In the testosterone group, women produced more follicles and more oocytes were retrieved. The numbers of available embryos and good quality embryos also were higher. Endometrial thickness and the number of embryos transferred were the same in both groups. The implantation rate was higher in the testosterone group (14.3% vs 7.2%), and the clinical pregnancy rate per transfer was significantly higher as well (31.5% vs 15.1%).
The difference in live birth rates reached borderline significance (27.3% vs 12.7%; P = .057). The investigators concluded that testosterone pre-treatment may have a positive effect on stimulation and IVF treatment outcomes in poor responder patients.
Of course there are all sort of disclaimers that this may not work for everyone but if you need help it could be an option for you to try.Best to discuss it with your fertility specialist though before attempting to harness these mystical male powers.
Naturally, there are a lot of possible side effects and complications if you are taking other medications - for example insulin so you need to be aware of the risks and possible implications it may have for you.One thing the information sheet noted was that women and children should not use, or be exposed to the gel. Which.. I have to admit was a bit concerning.
The other things I have been given is a Synarel nasal spray (one squirt per nostril per day, one early on and the other later on) which helps in decreasing the amount of oestrogen produced by the ovaries, making a more controlled scenario for IVF and egg making.
I get to take that during my next period along with the next batch of needles.
The tablets are Primolut and Progynova which are HRT treatments and both come with small novellas of side effects and warnings that no matter how good you are, will never ever fold back properly and get back in the box. Most of the information shows that these tablets are more for the treatment of menopause but in relation to IVF they're more to replace ad stabilise the estrogen.
I also get vaginal capsules called Utrogestan to take to replace progesterone hormones following embryo transfer.
These are all short term medications.
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| How I envision my next few months |
This is of course in conjunction with the alarming amount of tablets to take at specific times on the regular. Hubby saw my collection the other day and said he had no idea how I manage it all.
Of course, I have little choice in this if I want to procreate but it's a sacrifice I'm happy to make if the result is good.
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