After treatment, however, six out of ten women developed follicles that made it possible to retrieve eggs in response to ovarian stimulation.
One case of a serious side effect was reported and was linked to the hormone stimulation, not to the immunotherapy.
All women who responded to the treatment had autoimmune Addison’s disease, a condition in which the immune system destroys the adrenal glands.
To determine whether the method is effective and safe, larger, randomised studies are required,” says Angelica Lindén Hirschberg.
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital and the University of Bergen.
The results show that in some women there remains an egg reserve that can be activated when the autoimmune process is suppressed Angelica Lindén Hirschberg
Before treatment with rituximab, none of the women responded to the stimulation. After treatment, however, six out of ten women developed follicles that made it possible to retrieve eggs in response to ovarian stimulation.
”The results show that in some women there remains an egg reserve that can be activated when the autoimmune process is suppressed”, says the study’s first author Angelica Lindén Hirschberg, professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at Karolinska Institutet.
In five of the women, mature eggs could be frozen or fertiliszed. Three of them later had embryos transferred, and all three gave birth to healthy babies. For safety reasons, embryo transfer took place no earlier than one year after treatment. One case of a serious side effect was reported and was linked to the hormone stimulation, not to the immunotherapy.
It is common for women with autoimmune POI to also have other autoimmune diseases. All women who responded to the treatment had autoimmune Addison’s disease, a condition in which the immune system destroys the adrenal glands.
The study is a so-called proof-of-concept study without a control group and involved a small number of participants, which means that the results must be interpreted with caution.
“This is a first step. To determine whether the method is effective and safe, larger, randomised studies are required,” says Angelica Lindén Hirschberg. The research team has just launched such a study.
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital and the University of Bergen. The research was funded by, among others, the Swedish Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Region Stockholm. The researchers report no conflicts of interest.
Source: Karolinska Institutet
