Knowledge Of Infertility Gets New Inputs

Women who may lack a gene called estrogen receptor beta and not react to medications that can cure infertility.

In a research funded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported that the gene called estrogen receptor beta plays an important role in moving the egg outside the ovary to be fertilized. If women are lacking in this particular gene, which is found otherwise throughout in the female reproductive tissues, women may not respond to drugs or any other treatment to increase fertility in them

Drawing parallel from the mice study they have done, researchers had said that this is the first time the role of the receptor gene had been unveiled. The researchers have also been able to design a simple blood test that will be able to say if the women are lacking in this gene or not, or if a genetic mutation have altered the function of the gene or not.

Researchers for the study feel that dealing with infertility often takes a toll on the emotional well being, as well on the financial well being as well. This is because most of the infertility treatments are costly, with uncertainty involved with the results of the treatments. Their research findings will be to some extent will be able to sort out the problem at a very basic level and treatments based on this finding will be able to tell the patients whether they can hope for a result straight away.

Reference: Endocrinology, August 2005