Toward a Natural HRT

A proof-of-concept study suggests the possibility of engineering artificial ovaries in the lab to provide a more natural option for hormone replacement therapy for women. A team from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine report that in the laboratory setting, engineered ovaries showed sustained release of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. The study was published in the journal Biomaterials.

A release from the center notes that although there are medications that can compensate for the loss of female sex hormone production, the drugs are often not recommended for long-term use due to the increased risk of heart disease and breast cancer. Senior author Emmanuel C. Opara, Ph.D. is quoted as saying, "Our goal is to develop a tissue- or cell-based hormone therapy essentially an artificial ovary to deliver sex hormones in a more natural manner than drugs. A bioartificial ovary has the potential to secrete hormones in a natural way based on the body's needs, rather than the patient taking a specific dose of drugs each day."

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Toward a Natural HRT