Your adrenal glands produce dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, a steroidal hormone that is converted to produce the sex hormones androgen and estrogen. The rate at which your adrenals produce DHEA begins to decline in your mid-twenties. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, at age 70 you'll produce 80 percent less DHEA than you did in your youth. Researchers are just beginning to delve into the topic of whether DHEA supplementation is an aid to fertility. Consult your doctor before taking DHEA.
Ovarian Reserve and Fertility
You've probably heard that women possess all the eggs that their bodies will ever make at birth, and that these eggs deteriorate with age, leading to increased risk of birth defects and miscarriage. This concept, called "ovarian reserve," is called into question by Dr. Norman Gleicher of Yale University's Department of Obstetrics, who states that there is a possibility that oogenesis, or the creation of new eggs, continues post-natally. Gleicher also suggests that the positive effects of DHEA on fertility may indicate that these eggs, or oocytes, do not degenerate with age, but that the ovarian environment that supports them does. DHEA may aid fertility by increasing the quality of the ovarian structures that support egg production.
Improving Pregnancy Outcomes
DHEA supplementation is used in about one-third of all fertility clinics in the world, according to Gleicher. The use of DHEA in such environments is associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, even in women with severely diminished ovarian reserves. DHEA improves egg and embryo quality. Even the Mayo Clinic agrees that DHEA appears to benefit women who have trouble ovulating, but cautions that further research is needed.
DHEA and Miscarriage
A study published in "Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology" found that DHEA supplementation decreased the chances of miscarriage among women who had been diagnosed with decreased ovarian reserve. By comparing miscarriage rates at two North American infertility centers, researchers found that this population, which experiences significantly higher miscarriage rates, had their risk lowered to that of normally fertile populations after DHEA supplementation.
Dosage Considerations
Experimenting with hormonal supplements is a bad idea. Do not take DHEA without a doctor's orders. There are many precautions involved with the use of DHEA, including the fact that there are no long-term studies regarding its safety, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. High dosages may be toxic and can cause masculinizing effects in women. The recommended dosage of DHEA for adult females 19 and older is 25 mg daily.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Dehydroepiandrosterone; Steven D. Ehrlich; June 2009
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA); Ara DerMarderosian; May 2009
- "Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology": Miscarriage Rates After Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Supplementation in Women With Diminished Ovarian Reserve: A Case Control Study; Norbert Gleicher, et al; October 2009
- "Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology": Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Supplementation in Diminished Ovarian Reserve (Dor); May 2011
- Mayo Clinic: DHEA; April 2011
- "Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology": Defining Ovarian Reserve to Better Understand Ovarian Aging; Norbert Gleicher, et al; February 2011
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