A number of breakthroughs in research about fertility in women have drastically increased the chances of a woman being able to successfully conceive and bring a baby to term. New tests, new discoveries from research, and technological advances now mean that more women than ever can have babies.
Below are some of the newest fertility advancements:
Cell Free DNA Testing
Scientists have developed a new technique to analyze fetal DNA without having to extract cells. Certain at-risk women, such as women age 35 years or older and women with a history of certain chromosome disorders, can now be tested as early as the first trimester of their pregnancy. The new technique, known as cffDNA (cell-free fetal DNA) works by gathering and analyzing material directly from the mother’s blood, looking for DNA released by the placenta.
Uterine Transplants
In June 2015, a young woman who had her ovaries removed as a teenager was able to successfully carry a pregnant to term after having her womb re-attached. This is an extremely important breakthrough because it provides a method for women to have their uterus removed prior to undergoing chemotherapy and other therapies and then have the uterus re-attached in the future when conditions for being pregnant are more favorable.
The first woman to bring a baby to term after undergoing uterus transplantation suffered from an acute form of the blood disorder sickle-cell anemia, which required a treatment that significantly damaged her uterus.
Ovarian Transplants
Along with new breakthroughs in uterine transplants, scientists have made much more progress in the preservation and transplantation of ovarian tissue in order to boost fertility rates for women with cancer. A recent study in Denmark froze ovarian tissue for 32 women who were suffering from cancer. After the cancer therapy had been completed, the women had their frozen ovarian tissue transplanted back into their bodies, and 10 out of the 32 women successfully brought a pregnancy to term.
Starting at puberty, women will be able to have their ovaries frozen for later use. Women facing medical treatments that could potentially lower their fertility will be able to freeze their frozen ovaries transplanted when conditions for pregnancy are more favorable. Cryogenically preserving eggs is already an established procedure and currently available to the general public.
Babies with Three Parents
In 2015, Britain changed its law to permit mitochrondrial donation for pregnancies involving women who suffer from mitochrondrial diseases. The change in the law now permits women who suffer from mitochrondrial disease to be eligible for IVF (in-vitro fertilization) treatments, using a third “parent” to donate healthy mitochrondria so that the resulting pregnancy will not inherit the mother’s mitochrondrial disease.
Although technically DNA from three individuals is used to create a pregnancy using this technique, mitochrondria is not responsible for individual traits, so there is no effective change in parentage for the resulting pregnancy.
Gene Editing
Scientists have developed a new tool called CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly-interspaced palindromic repeats – associated protein 9) to directly edit DNA. While the CRISPR technology has existed for a few years, the new Cas9 version allows scientists to cut and replace specific DNA sequences.
Although this technology is still being developed, it is expected that gene editing will be able to strip out certain mutant genes responsible for a variety of inherited diseases and replace them with healthy versions. If this technology can be perfected, babies will no longer be at risk for a wide range of congenital diseases, including cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, Huntington’s disease, and Marfan syndrome.
Treatments for PCOS
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) can affect a woman’s fertility, including her hormone levels, ovulation, and menstrual cycle. It is estimated that approximately 10% of women in the United States are affected by PCOS. In 2015, scientists reported success using a new drug called letrozole (Femara) in treating PCOS in mice. This drug has not been evaluated by the FDA for general use in treating PCOS but a number of individual practitioners have used it with their clients and there is anecdotal evidence that Letrozole has achieved some success. Letrozole is currently approved only as a treatment for breast cancer.
Should future drug trials ultimately result in Letrozole becoming approved for human use, women affected by PCOS will be able to improve their fertility success rates, and have a greater chance of successfully ovulating and bringing a pregnancy to term. Currently, women with PCOS are advised to maintain a healthy weight, refrain from smoking, and closely monitor their ovulation to improve their fertility. Research is currently being conducted for other non-medication treatments in order to boost fertility rates for women with PCOS.