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Researchers may have found a solution to improving fertility in women with obesity, following a successful trial in mice using diabetes medication to reduce blood glucose levels.
The University of Queensland, Australia study found the common type 2 diabetes medication, Dapagliflozin, altered reproductive hormones in obese mice, and could be the key to improving fertility in humans.
Professor Chen Chen, from UQ’s School of Biomedical Sciences, said the results were a promising sign, as human and mouse reproductive cycles are similar.
“Our findings suggest that normalising blood glucose metabolism with Dapagliflozin in obesity may be a promising route for restoring reproductive function, at the very least”, said the researchers.
Many women with obesity experience fertility issues and altered levels of reproductive hormones, and this might be linked to changes in energy metabolism, which altered reproductive hormone levels and disrupted the menstrual cycle and ovulation.
Researchers will now investigate the therapeutic benefits of using Dapagliflozin to improve reproductive function by examining molecular pathways in women’s reproductive systems.
