Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a common gynecological disease also called primary ovarian insufficiency or early menopause. It often comes unexpected, and until now it has been considered a non-reversible pathology leading to infertility. However, a new therapy holds promise in POF treatment: stem cell transplantation.
What is premature ovarian failure?
Normally, ovaries produce hormones and eggs until the early fifties, when they stop working. This is what happens when women enter menopause. However, sometimes ovaries loss their function before women are 40 years old. In these cases menopause is called “early”, and women develop premature ovarian failure.
POF primary consequence is the loss of the so-called ovarian reserve, that is the number of the ovarian structures containing immature eggs (the follicles). Normally, follicles secrete hormones that influence the menstrual cycle. In POF, loss of ovarian reserve increases the risk of infertility, severely affecting women both physically and mentally. Their self-esteem can be compromised, and anxiety, shyness, and depression are around the corner.
Premature ovarian failure prevalence
POF prevalence in 1/250 in women under 35 years and 1/100 in women under 40 years. It is the cause of 10-28% of cases of primary amenorrhea, that is the lack of menstruations by the age of 16 years, but not only. In fact, POF represents also the cause of 4-18% of cases of secondary amenorrhea, that is menstruations interruption lasting at least 6 months.
The number of women suffering from this condition is increasing due to several factors. In some cases premature ovarian failure is classified as spontaneous. In others, it can be consequent to an insult, for example surgery or chemotherapy – the latter playing a significant role in secondary amenorrhea incidence increase.
POF consequent to an insult can be anticipated. That means that interventions against hormone deficiency long-term consequences, including infertility, can be initiated prior to the POF-promoting insult. Instead, spontaneous premature ovarian failure is not easy to identify; that is why diagnosis often comes late and many women struggle with infertility problems.
OvoSkill: the new solution for premature ovarian failure
OvoSkill, the innovative Bioscience Institute’s solution for POF, is a stem cell therapy based on the collection of a small volume (20 cc) of fat during a quick and painless outpatient procedure. Stem cells are isolated and expanded in Bioscience Laboratories, obtaining several hundred million pure Adipose-Derived mesenchymal Stem Cells (ADSCs). These cells can be injected into the ovary, where their efficacy in the treatment of POF has been demonstrated.
ADSCs are minimally immunogenic per se. Moreover, the use of autologous stem cells (that is, cells obtained from the fat of the woman that will receive ADSCs injection) mitigate any immunogenic concerns. Stem cell therapy tolerability and safety have been plenty demonstrated too.
How to request OvoSkill
To request OvoSkill, or for more informations about the procedure, please contact Bioscience at +971 (0)4 375 7220, or visit the ovoskill.com website and fill out the online form.
References
Edessy M et al. Acta Medica International. 2016;3(1):19-23. doi: 10.5530/ami.2016.1.7
Elkheir EAH. Autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with idiopathic premature ovarian failure. J Tissue Sci Eng. doi: 10.4172/2157- 7552.C1.030
Endocrine Society. 2018 Press Release. March 18, 2018. https://bit.ly/2JrAqz4
Gabr H et al. J Tissue Sci Eng 2016;7(3 Suppl):27. doi: 10.4172/2157- 7552.C1.030
He Y et al. The therapeutic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in premature ovarian failure. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2018 Oct 4;9(1):263. doi: 10.1186/s13287-018-1008-9
Torrealday S et al. Premature Ovarian Insufficiency – an update on recent advances in understanding and management. F1000Res. 2017 Nov 29;6:2069. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11948.1
Yoon SY. Mesenchymal stem cells for restoration of ovarian function. Clin Exp Reprod Med. 2019 Mar;46(1):1-7. doi: 10.5653/cerm.2019.46.1.1
