Water balloon can boost fertility

A TINY balloon filled with hot water could help millions of women overcome problems with their fertility.

The radical treatment is also expected to treat acne, facial hair growth and weight gain caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that affects one in five women in the UK.

Thirty patients are being recruited to a clinical trial at Imperial College London to see if the balloon, no bigger than a grain of rice, could cure PCOS – a major cause of infertility.

If the trial, expected to be completed next year, is successful, the treatment, which takes just over an hour, could transform pregnancy rates among women with PCOS.

The procedure improves the way the body reacts to insulin. About 70% of PCOS cases are because of insulin resistance, where the body’s cells become less sensitive to the hormone that helps muscles absorb sugar from blood to use as fuel.

As this resistance builds, the pancreas, the gland in the abdomen which makes insulin, reacts by pumping out even more of it.

When insulin accumulates in the female body, it can increase testosterone and lead to weight gain, acne and hirsutism. This hormonal disruption can slash the number of times a woman ovulates from around 12 times a year to, in some cases, zero.

But scientists hope that by using the balloon to restore normal menstrual cycles, they can bolster the chances of pregnancy in women with PCOS.

The tiny balloon burns away some of the lining of the intestine. Doctors insert a thin tube with the deflated silicon balloon on the end down the patient’s throat.

Once it reaches the duodenum, where much of our food is digested, it is inflated and hot water pumped through it.

Endocrinologist Dr Alex Miras, part of the team running the trial, says PCOS sufferers in the trial will be aged 18-45, have irregular periods and signs of insulin resistance but not diabetes.

“Lack of periods can cause an 80% reduction in fertilit,” said Dr Miras, “but we know tackling insulin resistance kick-starts the menstrual cycle. It’s a one-off procedure that could restore fertility.”– Daily Mail