Testosterone may improve female fertility

Testosterone, administered through a patch or gel on the skin, may improve female fertility, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In several fertility clinics across the country, women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) are using this technique to increase the number of eggs they produce, along with the over-the-counter drug DHEA, which is converted into testosterone in the body.

Follicles are the structures that contain and release the egg, ultimately with the goal of being fertilized by the male's sperm. This study looks into how male hormones, or androgens, help drive follicle development, possibly resulting in improved female fertility in women who respond poorly to IVF therapy.

"Androgens are increasing follicle growth and ensuring follicles don't die -- exactly what you want when providing fertility treatment," the study's senior author, Dr. Stephen R. Hammes, professor of endocrinology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, explained in a statement.

Another way androgens are beneficial to fertility is that they make ovarian cells more sensitive to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which promotes follicle growth. Hammes' research, studied via mice and cell experiments, notes that if a woman doesn't have enough androgens, then more of her follicles may be dying rather than progressing to the mature stage where they produce and release the egg.

Small androgen doses, equivalent to the medication dosage given to women undergoing IVF therapy, were administered to mice. Compared to those that didn't receive androgens, these mice developed more mature, egg-containing follicles and released a greater number of eggs with ovulation. IVF therapy is designed to do just that - enhance ovulation, but is unsuccessful in women (usually over age 40) with a poor ovarian reserve.

This research theoretically supports administering male hormones to certain women undergoing IVF therapy.

"Our study doesn't solve the controversy, but, along with some earlier seminal studies from other groups, it does tell us that we can't dismiss male hormones. They might actually be doing something useful," Hammes said.