A new fertility treatment in Greece has been developed and three perimenopausal women have also given birth following the programme.
When a woman is in a perimenopausal state, it means she is transitioning into the menopause.
Experts at the Genesis Athens fertility clinic in Greece used a technique that is usually reserved to help wounds heal faster.
The technique triggers growth of tissues and blood vessels and is called platelet-rich-plasma (PRP).
Experts at the clinic injected the PRP into the ovaries of 30 women between the ages of 46 and 49.
All of the women had reached menopause.
Usually when women reach this point they are no longer able to conceive due to the fact that you no longer ovulate.
The New Scientist reported that the treatment has been successful in restoring the periods of almost 70 per cent of the women who were included in the trial.
This included a woman who had not had a period in five years.
The team collected three eggs from this woman - two of which have already been successfully fertilised with her husband’s sperm.
The embryos are waiting to be implanted into her uterus using IVF and are currently on ice.
Fertility doctor Konstantinos Pantos of the Genesis Athens Clinic said the treatment is a great way for women to have children in later life.
“Lots of women focus on their jobs, careers… [until] they’re past the age of 40, [and then say], ‘Now let’s go have a child.
“In the meantime…menopause has arrived and they can’t have children.”
Dr Pantos admitted that the research is controversial, as it was not first tested on animals before being tried on humans - as per usual protocol.
He did however claim that the same technique has been tested on the eggs of mice.
So far the oldest woman he has helped was 59-years-old - this is however before Greece had introduced a rule banning IVF for women over the age of 50.
The women Dr Pantos helped will be in their 70s before the children reach puberty.
Dr Pantos said there should also be an age limit on people who undergo his treatment.
He said that this is ultimately up to the government and added that there should be no problem if the women are healthy.
The women will be in their 70s by the time their children hit puberty.
“My job as a doctor is to help couples and women achieve pregnancy. And if the women are healthy, then why not?”, he added.
Article: 12th August 2020 www.thescottishsun.co.uk