New hopes for pregnancy
Women who have trouble conceiving have been given hope by scientists who have shown how the hormone kisspeptin can activate the release of sex hormones which control periods.
Kisspeptin is a hormone coded by the KiSS-1 gene. Animals and humans lacking in the hormone do not go through puberty and remain sexually immature.
The study is an extension of previous research carried out by scientists from Imperial College, London. They found that kisspeptin treatment leads to the production of sex hormones in fertile women.
In the latest study, the scientists conducted their research by injecting either kisspeptin or an inactive salt solution into a group of 10 infertile women. From taking blood samples they discovered a rise in the levels of luteneising hormone, (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone which are both important for ovulation and fertility.
Now it is hoped that ‘kiss’ therapy as it has been labelled could provide ground-breaking fertility treatment for women with low levels of sex hormones.
Dr Waljit Dhillo from the Department of Metabolic Medicine at Imperial College and the Hammersmith Hospital, who led the study said:
“Kisspeptin has previously shown to potently stimulate hormone release in animals, but this is the first time that it has been shown to stimulate sex hormone release in women. Kisspeptin is a promising new tool for the restoration of normal reproductive function in women with low sex hormone levels.”
Fiona Haran