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My Mood:  Points: 1,339.83 Bank: 2,201.57 Total Points: 3,541.40 |  Gene Variation Predicts Response To Infertility Treatment Outcome In Pcos Patients
A new study has published regarding PCOS and a specific gene
variation. See announcement below:
GENE VARIATION PREDICTS RESPONSE TO TREATMENT IN COMMON INFERTILITY
DISORDER
NIH-sponsored researchers have discovered that women who have
polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in
response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if they
have a variation in a particular gene.
The gene, known as STK (serine-threonine kinase) 11 is involved in
controlling blood sugar levels. Along with infertility and cyst-like
structures in the ovaries, women with PCOS often have insulin
resistance, a pre-diabetic condition in which higher-than-normal
amounts of insulin are required to reduce blood sugar levels.
Because the drug metformin lowers blood sugar levels, researchers
have studied it as a treatment for the infertility associated with
the condition. However, the results of these studies were
conflicting.
"The current study offers a possible explanation for the conflicting
results seen by the numerous research teams who studied metformin as
a treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome," said Duane Alexander,
M.D., director of the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development, which provided much of the
funding for the study. "This finding is the first step in the
development of a test that can distinguish women who are likely to
benefit from the treatment from those who are not."
Additional funding for the study was provided by NIH's National
Center for Research Resources.
The study was published on line in the "Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology & Metabolism".
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the NICHD
Reproductive Medicine Network, who were led by Richard S. Legro,
M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Penn State
University College of Medicine.
PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women, affecting 8 to 15
percent of American women of reproductive age, said Dr. Legro.
In addition to infertility, PCOS can also cause pelvic pain, excess
hair growth and acne. Women who are obese are more likely to develop
the syndrome. Women with PCOS are also at higher risk of other
conditions like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
To conduct the study, Dr. Legro and his coworkers analyzed DNA from
312 women who participated in a larger study. That study compared the
effectiveness of metformin to the drug clomiphene at helping women
with PCOS achieve pregnancy. The release describing the earlier study
is available at
.
In the current study, the researchers found that women were less
likely to ovulate after receiving metformin if they had a particular
variation of the gene for STK11. As with most genes, individuals have
two copies of the STK11 gene. The women's response to metformin was
dependent on how many copies of the variant gene they possessed. Of
the possible combinations, women had either one variant together with
one typical copy of the gene, two copies of the variant, or two
typical copies of the gene.
Of the women with one copy of the variant STK11 gene, 67 percent
ovulated in response to the treatment (32 women out of 48). For women
with two copies of the variant gene, only 48 percent ovulated in
response to the treatment (10 of 21). Of the women who did not have
the variant gene, 79 percent (15 of 19) ovulated in response to
metformin.
The researchers also found that women were less likely to ovulate if
they had a higher body mass index (BMI). BMI, which takes into
account a person's weight and height, is used to gauge whether an
individual is overweight or obese.
Dr. Legro explained that the next step is to conduct a genetic
analysis on a large sample of women, to try to find out how
frequently the gene variant occurs in the population. Once the
researchers find the prevalence of the gene, the next step would be
to begin work on a test to distinguish women who would be unlikely to
ovulate in response to metformin from those likely to ovulate.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and
population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information,
visit the Institute's Web site at .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical
Research Agency - is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a
component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is
the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the
causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit
##
This NIH News Release is available online at:
.
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