Mumbai: State-run Cama Hospital, after being the city’s first public sector centre to offer free infertility treatment for women, has now introduced platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to improve ovarian reserves in certain patients. Cama Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Tushar Palve said, “PRP is commonly used in the medical field.” In orthopaedics, it’s used to treat ligament injuries and osteoarthritis, while dermatologists use it for hair loss treatment and ophthalmologists for corneal healing. “Its use in obstetrics and gynaecology is also being explored,” said Dr Palve.
“PRP is already being offered in a few private hospitals in the city, and we have also started offering it to women whose AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone levels that indicate number of eggs a woman has remaining in her ovaries) score is less than 3,” said the doctor. A woman undergoing infertility treatment here was already given PRP using laparoscopy, he said.
When PRP, a concentrated blood product containing growth factors and cytokines, is injected directly into ovaries, it acts as a “rejuvenation therapy.” Studies show PRP repairs damaged ovarian tissues, increases growth of follicles in ovaries, and stimulates egg production. It is hence being looked upon as an additional treatment for those women seeking IVF.
Senior infertility specialist Dr Hrishikesh Pai from Lilavati Hospital, Bandra, said he’s been using PRP for women with poor reserves. “We started offering PRP 3 years ago,” he said. Doctors offer it to some women advised to seek egg donors but are not keen on donations; the idea is to use PRP as an option to boost egg production.
However, PRP is far from a sure-shot therapy. “We counsel our patients about limitations of the treatment. It was successful in only a small number of patients,” Dr Pai said, adding that PRP can be called a “fringe therapy.”
Dr Ameet Patki of Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction said PRP’s role in infertility treatment hasn’t yet been fully established. “It’s a treatment that is best offered only in a research setting till there is more clarity about its ability to increase ovarian reserves. It should not be offered on a routine basis to all,” said Dr Patki.
