After two miscarriages and three years of failed In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, Cara Vanlandingham, a Chicago native, is finally becoming a mother.

And it’s all thanks to a new clinical study involving Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). The mother-to-be is expecting a baby girl in December, praising her successful pregnancy to this new PRP treatment. Many women who struggle to conceive after IVF treatments are turning to PRP therapy to help restore their fertility – but is it truly that effective, or is this a special exception?

WHAT IS PRP THERAPY?

Traditionally, Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is used to help athletes recover from sports-related injuries. PRP contains a high concentration of growth factors found in the patient’s blood. The treatment involves spinning the patient’s blood in a special centrifuge to isolate the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood’s components. The yellowish concoction, rich with growth factors, is then injected into muscle and tendon injuries to promote natural growth and regeneration.

PRP AS AN “OVARIAN REJUVENATION TREATMENT”

Recently, doctors started using PRP as an “ovarian rejuvenation treatment” to help women overcome premature menopause, low ovarian reserves, and advanced maternal age. The same way PRP stimulates tissue growth in injured athletes, it can stimulate oocyte production in a woman’s ovaries.

Similarly, PRP as a “fertility treatment” can help infertile women who have scarring from miscarriages or thin uterine linings. PRP can stimulate the development of new tissue, making the uterine lining grow thicker in women with thin uterine linings.

Many doctors believe that PRP can increase the success rate of IVF treatments. Doctors suspect that the failure of IVF treatments isn’t caused by the embryo, but the uterus. In a 2015 study, five infertile women with thin uterine linings all had successful pregnancies after PRP was used to promote endometrial growth.

In Cara’s case, PRP was injected into her uterus three days before implanting her embryo.

HOW WELL CAN PRP TREAT INFERTILITY?

According to Dr. Randy Morris, the doctor who performed the PRP treatment on Cara, it’s too early to make a definitive connection between PRP and fertility.

In 2015, a gynecologist named Konstantinos Sfakianoudis conducted a pre-clinical trial of 27 menopausal women. The study claimed that 11 of the 27 women saw their menopause reversed after PRP treatments, bringing their hormones back to a level of fertility.

But, Sfakianoudis’ promising data hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet. While PRP fertility studies like these are still in their infancy, the future does seem bright.

RegenerVate may not offer Ovarian Rejuvenation Treatments, but we do provide PRP injection therapies for chronic joint and muscle pain! PRP is a safe and proven alternative to surgery and other invasive procedures.

Call us at 1-855-712-9901 to schedule an appointment, or drop by one of our RegenerVate locations today!