New research 1 has been published showing that DHEA treatment during pregnancy can reduce the risk of miscarriage for women with low oestrogen levels from Dr. Boyle and his team. This is the first paper of its kind.

Low serum estradiol in early pregnancy has been linked with an increased risk of miscarriage. This study aimed to investigate whether supplementing estradiol or dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) could reduce miscarriage risk in pregnancies with low estradiol as part of a comprehensive treatment approach.

This retrospective cohort study included women with low serum estradiol levels in early pregnancy who received estradiol or DHEA supplementation. The primary outcome was serum estradiol level relative to gestational age, with secondary outcomes including miscarriage rate, birth weight, and gestational age at birth. DHEA supplementation significantly increased estradiol levels and reduced the miscarriage rate compared to no supplementation. Estradiol supplementation did not significantly affect estradiol levels but showed a trend toward reducing miscarriage rates. Birth outcomes were not significantly different between groups and no sexual abnormalities were reported in children of DHEA-supplemented patients after long-term follow-up.

This study is the first of its kind to show DHEA supplementation effectively increased estradiol levels and reduced miscarriage rates in pregnancies with low serum estradiol. Low estradiol levels could serve as a measurable biomarker for targeted RRM therapy in recurrent miscarriage. While the study suggests a potential benefit of addressing low estradiol levels in early pregnancy, further research is still needed and hope randomized controlled trials could follow.

More in-depth learning on DHEA use in pregnancy is available in our conference archives, case reports and CME activities listed below.2345

“Our DHEA is essential to make oestrogen which is required for a healthy pregnancy. If a blood test confirms DHEA deficiency, treatment can reduce the risk of miscarriage. It is best to identify and treat this pre-conception as early correction can also improve egg quality. During pregnancy it should only be to women with a proven deficiency. It needs to be monitored closely to ensure hormone levels are properly balanced. My hope is that more clinics will use DHEA treatment for “at risk” pregnancies to reduce the number of miscarriages. I have used it successfully since 2015 for many pregnancies and wish to see wider use of this simple and effective treatment.”

Phil Boyle, MD. IIRRM President.

References & Resources

  1. Boyle P, Andralojc K, van der Velden S, et al. Restoration of serum estradiol and reduced incidence of miscarriage in patients with low serum estradiol during pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study using a multifactorial protocol including DHEA. Front Reprod Health. 2024;5:1321284. Published 2024 Jan 4. doi:10.3389/frph.2023.1321284 ↩︎
  2. Andralojc, K. (2019) ‘16th International Conference for RRM’, in Low estradiol levels in pregnancy-treatment with estradiol and DHEA . Dublin. Available at: https://iirrm.org/product/agm2019/ ↩︎
  3. Andralojc, K. (2019) ‘16th International Conference for RRM’, in Low estradiol levels in pregnancy-treatment with estradiol and DHEA . Dublin. Available at: https://iirrm.org/product/agm2019/ ↩︎
  4. Boye, P. (2023) DHEA Treatment for Recurrent Miscarriage: Case Report. www.iirrm.org. Available at: https://iirrm.org/cme/dhea-treatment-for-recurrent-miscarriage/  ↩︎
  5. Andralojc, K. Boyle P. De Groot T. (2022) “First Global Summit: Restorative Reproductive Medicine” Oestradiol Levels in pregnancy and treatment options for oestradiol deficiency. Available at: https://iirrm.org/globalsummit/  ↩︎