O-060 Ovarian rejuvenation - fact or fiction?
Authors: Jain K , Jain M 
Published: July 2024

Ovarian aging is a reality and a physiological process which occurs with age resulting in to premature depletion of eggs . POI occurs in approximately 1% of the women who have not reached 40 years of age. The frequency is roughly 4–8% in women experiencing secondary amenorrhea and 10–28% in cases of primary amenorrhea .The prevalence of POI was higher in countries with medium and low human development indexes . . We analysed 1000 infertile patients of less than 40 years . 110 patients had AFC less then 2 and opted for egg donor program . cycle cancellation was due to nonavailability of eggs on OPU was seen in 4% cases in our analysis . Presence of oogonial stem cells (OSCs) in the ovarian cortex , hinting at a possibility of therapeutic stimulation of post-natal folliculogenesis in subfertile women it is postulated that ovarian aging or insufficiency could be reversed if OSCs are provided a healthy environment. Ovarian rejuvenation therapy is a new and innovative approach to enhancing fertility in this group of patients . It is often carried out using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or stem cell therapy. Ovarian Rejuvenation with Stem cells is also called Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in the Ovary (ASCOT). PRP is having lots of advantages like therapeutic effect, cost effectiveness, ease of isolation and autologous nature. However some drawbacks are also there like inconclusive efficacy and lack of understanding of mechanism of action, lack of RCT /fundamental research . regenerative processes organized by platelet cytokines in somatic cells are poorly understood . PRP infusion may only be an appropriate treatment for select ovarian disorders. perimenopausal women and women deemed to be POR benefitted the most from the treatment, more so than POI and menopausal patients . platelet cytokines are ligands that attach to cell membrane receptors—not the nucleus . no case of tumorogenic activity observed in any clinical context so far . Further reassurance comes from work in other human tissue treated with PRP, where accelerated growth of healthy cells was noted without triggering malignant transformation .

13 registered clinical trials investigating the effect of PRP on ovarian rejuvenation .few of these trials describe the inclusion of appropriate PRP controls. It is only from well-controlled trials, built on detailed mechanistic understanding that we can clarify the platelet-mediated effects of PRP therapy in ovarian rejuvenation and folliculogenesis. The PRP injections into the ovaries are safe, productive, and a natural treatment that may help women with premature ovarian insufficiency to give birth to their own child .

Stem cell therapy is attracting attention in the field of regenerative medicine and is advancing rapidly. Many recent studies have applied stem cell therapy to treat reproductive system diseases; however, data are not yet available as to whether this therapy shows enhanced therapeutic effects. It is evident that stem cell therapies have potential in treating POI. Stem cells and their exosomes, including content such as miRNAs, show positive effects in enhancing and restoring various aspects of ovarian function, such as folliculogenesis, the GC apoptosis rate, vascular formation, and genetic stability. Among the 10 clinical trials in the NIH database, only 4 have been completed; the rest are ongoing, recruiting and/or active. Research subjects have been selected by strict standards. Although there are several active ongoing clinical trials for POI using stem cell-based therapeutics, there are restrictions in each country regarding ethical and clinical concerns from the health-care community .Potential of stem cell therapies in treating POI still needs further research and clinical results.