# DHEA



## Brighton (May 8, 2006)

Hi,

I was advised to take DHEA by my clinician. He said there was no scientific evidence that it could help me, but there is a theory that it could help with stimulating the ovaries to produce more eggs.

I have now heard from another doctor that it is a male hormone, and I should not be taking it. 
He has said that as a male hormone, it could affect the lining of the womb, making implantation more difficult. 

Does anyone know anymore about this?  Anymore info out there?

By the way I am 42 and have been given a 5 to 10 percent chance of success with IVF. I can not go the DE route as hubby refuses to consider it! 

Brighton


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## ♥JJ1♥ (Feb 11, 2006)

Brighton which clinic are you at?  One of my previous consultants at the Bridge recommended it but said they can't prescribe it, and to go to Zita West's nutritionist for a consultation which I did she just said she can't advocate one way or the other, but gave me a fact sheet and some studies, I decided not to take it, as I recall that you have to be off it for a certain amount of time before TTC, and it is a steroid hormone.  There have been some other threads on FF about it, maybe in peer support or compl therapies.

Good Luck
L x


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## Betty M (Dec 6, 2005)

Thats wierd - someone I know in Canada via a blog was advised to take it for the 4 months before TTC and then to stop. She is now pregant.

There have been studies in rats which show it is a bad idea to take it when a pregnancy is achieved which would suggest stopping it pre EC. I found this info on a Mayo Clinic website - they seem to be a hospital chain in the US but I have no ifdea how respected they are http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dhea/NS_patient-dhea:

"Induction of labor 
Preliminary evidence, suggests that DHEA may help to induce labor. Further research is needed and people who are pregnant should not self-treat.

Infertility 
There are low quality studies that suggest DHEA supplementation may be beneficial in women with ovulation disorders. However, results of research in this area are conflicting, and safety is not established. There is currently not enough scientific evidence to form a clear conclusion about the use of DHEA for this condition. "

Here are some links from the blog:
http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/premature_ovaries.html- this clinic are doing a study on DHEA
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/8/1691?ijkey=3a6872d596aaf464c18911d2a9086fe72f976fd4&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha - 
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/oup/humrep/2000/00000015/00000010/art02129 - another scientific study (pretty small one)

Hope this is helpful.
betty


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## Brighton (May 8, 2006)

Betty M and JJ1,

Thanks for the info.

I will look at the web sites you mention, and I will search for the threads on this site.

Brighton


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## Happy Mummy (Sep 22, 2006)

I have heard conflicting things too.
So confusing. Is it possible to get it in England though, or does it have to be ordered online from the States?
Future Mummy


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## Miranda7 (Feb 12, 2007)

Here's a recent study:

1: J Assist Reprod Genet. 2007 Dec 11 
Update on the use of dehydroepiandrosterone supplementation among women with diminished ovarian function.
Barad D, Brill H, Gleicher N.
Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
OBJECTIVE: We assessed the role of DHEA supplementation on pregnancy rates in women with diminished ovarian function. DESIGN: This is a case control study of 190 women with diminished ovarian function. The study group includes 89 patients who used supplementation with 75 mg daily of oral, micronized DHEA for up to 4 months prior to entry into in vitro fertilization (IVF). The control group is composed of 101 couples who received infertility treatment, but did not use DHEA. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy after the patient's initial visit. We developed a Cox proportional hazards model to compare the proportional hazards of pregnancy among women using DHEA with the controls group. RESULTS: Cumulative clinical pregnancy rates were significantly higher in the study group (25 pregnancies; 28.4% vs. 11 pregnancies; 11.9%; relative hazard of pregnancy in study group (HR 3.8; 95% CI 1.2-11.8; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DHEA treatment resulted in significantly higher cumulative pregnancy rates. These data support a beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation among women with diminished ovarian function.
PMID: 18071895 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

I'm convinced it worked for me - it's not a male hormone at all. I think what that doctor was referring to was the fact that bodybuilders take it in large quantites and it heightens testosterone.

For fertility you need to take up to 75 mg a day for about four months - not the dose bodybuilders take!

And it's so cheap - it'sa about the only thing that is in this game, so give it a go. It's certainly not going to hurt for four months.

xxx


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## Brighton (May 8, 2006)

Dear Future Mummy and Miranda 7,

Thanks for all the info. I am still unconvinced about DHEA though.

Miranda congratulations on your pregnancy.

Future Mummy you can buy DHEA online or you can order it from Boots the chemist. I would be wary of it though because three out of four fertility doctors I spoke to about it, were catorgorically opposed to it.

Good luck girls,

Brighton


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## Rusty06 (Oct 25, 2007)

HI

If taken is it reconmmended not to TTC for 4 months while taking it?

Thanks


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