SAT-LB042 Effect of Dehydroepiandrosterone on the Perimenopausal Ovary

Abstract

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation can improve oocyte quality in women with diminished ovarian function1-2. However, it is unclear if similar beneficial effects of DHEA supplementation can be obtained during the perimenopause, a period when the number of ovarian follicles shows a marked age-associated decline. To address this question we examined the impact of 2.5-months of daily oral DHEA supplementation (5 mg) on the number of ovarian follicles as well as on the concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) – a marker of ovarian function. The study used perimenopausal adult rhesus monkeys; like women, these long-lived nonhuman primates show ~28-day menstrual cycles and eventually undergo menopause. Furthermore, they show similar age-related neuroendocrine changes, including a marked decrease in circulating DHEA concentrations3-4. Our experimental design involved the following three groups (N = 6 per group): Young adult (mean age = 11.6 years), Old control (mean age = 23.1 years), and Old DHEA-treated (mean age = 23.5 years). Histological examination of the ovaries revealed a significant (P<0.05) age-related decrease in the mean number of pre-antral follicles but no obvious beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation. Similarly, AMH concentrations within the ovaries and serum, assessed by Western analysis and ELISA respectively, showed a significant (P<0.05) age-related decrease but no obvious beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation. Taken together, the results indicate that short-term DHEA supplementation alone is insufficient to enhance ovarian function during the perimenopause and they complement findings from our earlier studies, which showed no obvious benefit of DHEA supplementation on cognitive function5. On the other hand, it remains plausible that chronic DHEA supplementation, earlier DHEA intervention, and supra-physiological DHEA doses may have more therapeutic potential. 1Gleicher N et al.Reprod Biomed Online, 21:360-365, 2010. 2Yilmaz N et al. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol, 169:257-260, 2013. 3Downs JL & Urbanski HF. Biol Reprod, 75: 539-546, 2006. 4Sorwell KG et al. Neurobiol Aging, 33:1487.e1-e13, 2012. 5Sorwell KG et al. Genes Brain Behav, 16:361-368, 2017. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. s presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.