29/07/2024
29/07/2024

NEW YORK, July 29: An increasing number of people are waiting longer to have children, but about one-third of couples face difficulties conceiving if the female partner is over 35 due to declining fertility. Researchers are exploring the potential of rapamycin, a drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection, to extend a woman's fertile years by up to five years.
An ongoing clinical trial has shown promising early results, though they are not yet peer-reviewed. Rapamycin has been beneficial in various aspects of aging in mice, including fertility. The drug helps preserve the "ovarian reserve," the pool of follicles a woman is born with, which diminishes with age leading to menopause.
The pilot study involved 50 women aged 35-45 who were perimenopausal. They received either a weekly dose of rapamycin or a placebo for three months. Initial results suggested rapamycin might decrease ovarian aging by 20% without side effects, potentially extending fertility by five years. The drug appears to limit the number of follicles recruited per menstrual cycle, thereby preserving the ovarian reserve.
The study will now move to a larger phase, recruiting 1,000 women. If successful, rapamycin could become a valuable treatment for women with low ovarian reserves or those wishing to prolong their fertility. This research also underscores the potential of repurposing existing drugs for new treatments in women's health.