A new breakthrough jab may prevent menopause from happening altogether, scientists claim. Currently being developed by US researchers, the injection is designed to mimic a key hormone.
This could mean that when your levels start to plummet at around the age of 45 during menopause, the drug could step in and delay the debilitating condition or even potentially stop it from happening.
Dr Daisy Robinton, from Oviva Therapeutics, told MailOnline: “This drug may not just delay the menopause — it could actually prevent it.”
Menopause refers to a time when periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It tends to strike between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can also happen earlier, according to the NHS.
What’s worse, the condition is characterised by debilitating symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes and difficulty sleeping.
Hormones that decline during this time include oestrogen, progesterone, and Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). The jab that is currently being developed is designed to mimic the last hormone out of these three.
AMH is produced by your ovaries and gradually declines with age. Previous research suggested that patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes higher levels of AMH, tend to start menopause two years later.
Speaking at the Livelong Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Dr Robinton said AMH could be used to slow how quickly eggs are lost and “extend the runway to the menopause”.
She said: “The ovaries age 2.5 times faster than the rest of the body and from the age of 35 to 50, they go through a rapid decline.
“At the age of 52, the menopause onset happens, with the loss of the ovaries causing the rest of the body to start to decline.
“AMH hormone controls the amount of lag time until the menopause and actually acts as a brake in females.”
The doctor’s company is currently testing the breakthrough drug on mice. If it proves successful, human trials will follow over the next few years.
The jab would be taken every few months and could mean that people will get to choose when to have menopause or if to have menopause, the expert added.