Currently, many couples are getting married later, and as women age, their fertility rates gradually decline. This can be due to issues such as premature ovarian aging, thin endometrial lining, and a decrease in the number and quality of eggs, which lead to infertility problems.
For this reason, technologies have been developed to assist those with infertility, such as sperm selection and intrauterine injection Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF – In Vitro Fertilization), including chromosome testing to increase the success rate of pregnancy. Additionally, another innovative alternative treatment for infertility is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection.
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)?
PRP is plasma rich in platelets, obtained by extracting blood from the patient and then centrifuging it through a separation process to concentrate the platelets 4-5 times higher than normal. Doctors can control the temperature during centrifugation to avoid affecting the bioactive substances in the platelets, preserving important components effectively.
PRP injections help treat and regenerate various tissues because platelets contain Growth Factors and Cytokines, compounds that stimulate surrounding cells to undergo natural repair and division processes faster and more efficiently.
Who is suitable for PRP injections?
- Those with premature ovarian aging. PRP helps stimulate hormone levels to improve ovarian function. After injection, most patients show increased AMH levels (a hormone indicating egg quantity).
- Those with low ovarian response to stimulation.
- Those with a thin endometrial lining that prevents embryo transfer. PRP injection before progesterone administration has been found to thicken the endometrial lining and increase blood supply to it.
- Those who have undergone egg stimulation but produced weak embryos that do not reach the blastocyst stage or fail chromosome testing.
PRP Injection Procedure
The procedure takes about 20 minutes. After blood is centrifuged, the PRP can be injected into the uterine cavity or ovarian tissue without surgery and no recovery time is needed.
However, there is no research evidence supporting an increase in egg quantity, pregnancy success rates, or the risk of ovarian cancer from PRP injections.
