Rapamycin, a drug currently undergoing clinical studies at Columbia University, could delay ovary aging and, in turn, delay menopause, while also reducing future symptom severity.
The Columbia clinical study marks the first time the drug has been tested on humans, as it has previously been tested on animals at several clinics, which showed that it could extend lifespan and slow aging. The trial, led by Dr. Zev Williams, chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Columbia University Fertility Center, and Dr. Yousin Suh, director of the reproductive aging program at Columbia, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study looking at the effects of weekly low dose rapamycin on women ages 35 to 42 over the course of three months. After three months, patients will be monitored for an additional nine months.
The Role of Rapamycin in the Preservation of Female Fertility and Ovarian Health
Overview
The average age of a first-time mother in the USA and UK is 30 & 31, respectively, with more women leaving it later in life to bear children than ever before. This age is considerably higher than the average age of 21 in the 1970s. There are many reasons why this exponential increase has occurred over the last 50 years. However, it can be largely attributed to (1) the cost of rearing a child [1], (2) education/career aspirations, or (3) failure to meet the right partner. It is also well established that females decline in their ability to successfully bear a child as they age, with a 98% reduction in reproductive cells/egg (termed âoocytesâ) from birth to age 37 (~2 million to ~25,000). This is further worsened as oocytes decline to ~1,000 by age 50 and the start of menopause [2].
Therefore, several research groups worldwide have sought to determine methods to understand and prolong a womanâs reproductive lifespan, enhance ovarian health, and mitigate biological ageâs detrimental effects on the female reproductive system.
One noteworthy therapeutic is rapamycin, a well-established anti-aging & longevity compound. Among the several benefits of rapamycin to human health, recent research has begun to demonstrate that rapamycin may have significant benefits for womenâs health, particularly in preserving ovarian function, fertility, and delaying menopause.
So, what does the science say? In this article, we discuss these exciting findings and how rapamycin may be utilized to enhance reproductive health and longevity in women.
To prolong personal health and delay menopause I think is a great usage.
If you are considering using this to prolong your reproductive timeframe, I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice but I would be nervous/cautious here: there have been no studies to my knowledge that the integrity/efficacy of the egg is preserved.
Then again, I never thought about this being an issue for sperm, so perhaps there is zero issue here and I am just being ridiculous (a biological Luddite).
There are a lot of young people (i may not be old for this site but I am DEFINITELY old to them): how are you thinking of impact to egg/sperm? (Or no impact?)
Iâm not asking just because I am bored: I have two teenage daughters â I have been teaching them what I learn here, and it seems to be sinking in so I expect that they will be enacting some of these protocols before then are 30.
Okay so the dose is 5mg a week for 12 weeks, I assume they are titrating up to that the first week or two. Do we know if they are on birth control until the 12 weeks ends? Is there an amount of time between stopping Rapamycin before becoming pregnant? Does anyone know any further details here??
Regarding the issue of " Is there an amount of time between stopping Rapamycin before becoming pregnant?", I would look at the organ transplant patient recommendations in this area (since rapamycin has been used for about 20 years in this patient population, and many women have gone on to have babies after organ transplants. They frequently have to continue taking the rapamycin during pregnancy - so not an exact guide for you as you want to stop (and this Columbia University study is the first of its kinds, so we really donât know much right now), but at 5mg/week the sirolimus should be entirely gone from your body (or at negligible levels) in two weeks, then give a few months buffer just to be safe, but you probably want to discuss with your doctor.
This guide suggests 12 weeks waiting period before pregnancy:
Sirolimus Pregnancy Warnings
This drug should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus.
AU TGA pregnancy category: C
US FDA pregnancy category: C
Comment:
-This drug may cause immunosuppression in the infant.
-Effective contraception should be initiated before therapy, during therapy, and for 12 weeks after therapy has been stopped.
Source: Sirolimus (Rapamune) Use During Pregnancy
I see, so the VIBRANT study is not in women who later want or plan for future pregnancy. It seems that slowing the release of eggs is the mechanism by which AMH increases and not increasing AMH by improving the recruitment of eggs.
Their focus seems to be menopause⌠But longer fertility âshouldâ be one of the side effectsâŚ
VIBRANT aims to evaluate the use of a low dose of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin as a way to slow down the release of eggs from womenâs ovarian reserve, thereby slowing ovarian aging. The trial will include 50 healthy women between ages 38 and 45 years who have regular menstrual periods but are not interested in conceiving. The participants will be randomized to receive either weekly oral rapamycin or placebo, with both the participants and investigators blinded to the assignment.