DHEA in Poor Responders (1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) improve IVF outcomes in Poor Responders? A randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.
IRAS ID
99563
Contact name
Roy Homburg
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Eudract number
2013-001661-16
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN78447218
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
Poor response to assisted conception occurs where IVF treatment cycles fail or are cancelled because there insufficient eggs produced after ovarian stimulation. This is expected in some women on account of their age or low ovarian reserve.
It is obviously distressing for affected couples and also present challengies for clinicians as to date there are no proven effective treatment options.Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a natural hormone which is being promoted as an effective adjunct to improve fertility treatment outcomes in poor responders. It is a safe, well tolerated drug, available as an over the counter food supplement in America. Most of the evidence for its use comes from America and is based mostly on poorly conducted studies or statistical inferences from such studies, usually involving small patient numbers.
To date there are no robust scientific/clinical evidence for these claims. By conducting this multi-centre, randomised, placebo controlled, double blinded trial we aim to investigate whether DHEA is effective in poor responders.
REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1240
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion