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 In women who have stopped menstruating because of inadequate secretion of reproductive hormones, a recently identified natural hormone known as kisspeptin raises their reproductive hormone levels when given as twice-weekly injections for two months, a new study finds. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

“This study raises the possibility that kisspeptin could be used in the future as a novel treatment for certain forms of infertility,” said the study’s presenting author Channa Jayasena, MD, of Imperial College London in the U.K., where the study was performed.

The researchers studied the new treatment in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea, or HA, a common type of loss of menstruation (amenorrhea). It accounts for as much as one third of cases of amenorrhea in women of childbearing age. Common causes include excessive exercise, anorexia and stress. Because HA results in a failure to ovulate, it can lead to infertility.

Current HA treatments, such as birth control pills to restore estrogen and in vitro fertilization to attempt pregnancy, have associated side effects, according to Jayasena.

The natural human hormone kisspeptin plays an important role in regulating fertility. It is necessary for puberty to occur and may trigger the release of reproductive hormones. Founders of kisspeptin in Hershey, Pa., named the hormone after the chocolate Hershey’s Kiss.

Recently the researchers at Imperial College London found that twice-daily injections of a type of kisspeptin, kisspeptin-54, stimulated the release of sex hormones that control the menstrual cycle, but the effect wore off after two weeks.

In the new study, the investigators studied the effects of kisspeptin-54 injections given every two weeks. They randomly assigned 10 women with HA to receive either kisspeptin or saline injections for two months at twice-weekly intervals.

Among the 5 women who received kisspeptin, levels of female reproductive hormones that are essential for fertility increased significantly with the first injection. Over the two-month study period, the hormone levels stayed increased, compared with those in women who received saline injections, the authors reported. They observed no side effects.

None of the women reported menstruating again during the two-study period.

“Larger and longer-term studies are needed to find out if kisspeptin injections can restore menstruation in women with HA and help them regain fertility,” Jayasena said.

Funding for the study came from the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research, all in the U.K

 

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Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.