It sounds like a long-awaited promise made by research from the New York biotech company “Oviva Therapeutics”. The company wants to use a vaccination to prevent menopause, which most women usually experience between the ages of 45 and 55. During this time, the female body goes through hormonal changes that can affect mental and physical well-being.
Menopause is typically characterized by irregular or absent periods, hot flashes, sweats and muscle and joint pain. But women also struggle psychologically during this time. Many suffer from sleep disorders, mood swings and exhaustion or reduced pleasure. Menopause also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis, among other things.
US researchers want to prevent menopause through vaccination
Responsible for these changes is the decrease in estrogen, progesterone and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) – a marker that indicates how many eggs a woman produces. This is exactly where the vaccination should start. The researchers at “Oviva Therapeutics” assume that injecting a synthetic form of AMH increases hormone levels. “This drug could not only delay menopause, but actually prevent it,” says Daisy Robinton, a molecular biologist at Oviva Therapeutics who was involved in the development.
Anti-Müllerian hormone is produced in the ovaries around the follicles that eventually produce eggs. As we age, the number of follicles in the uterus also decreases. This number should now be influenced by injecting the hormone. “By using AMH to maintain ovarian reserve, we have the potential to prolong ovarian function, delay the onset of menopause and, most importantly, improve the health of women as they age,” the researchers say.
After all, the ovaries not only play an important role in reproduction, but also contribute significantly to well-being.
Synthetic anti-Müllerian hormone is intended to increase hormone levels again
However, the synthetic AMH must first be tested on mice. If this is successful, they want to move on to clinical trials on humans. However, the scientists are confident that their therapeutics will enable women to have “additional years of healthy life” in the future.
Other studies in mice have already provided data suggesting that ovarian function is linked to longevity. The lifespan of older animals could be extended by six to eleven percent by inserting younger ovaries into them.
To date, the most effective treatment for menopause is hormone replacement therapy. Here too, the hormone deficiency is compensated for by artificially supplying sex hormones. The results of the AMH study from the USA could enormously enrich the still young research field of female reproductive medicine, says Oviva.
“Women’s health remains an underfunded and poorly understood area from both a biomedical research and clinical development perspective. Our preclinical and clinical strategies will fill many knowledge gaps.”