With grant, U. opens center for female infertility research

After receiving a $5.6 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the University has opened one of the nation's only National Centers for Research on Female Infertility. The Center will focus its research on polycystic ovary syndrome -- known as PCOS -- a common cause of female infertility. Jerome Strauss, director of Penn's Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, explained that PCOS is the "most common endocrine or reproductory disorder of women of reproductive age." The approximately 10 percent of reproductive-age women who are infertile due to PCOS suffer from irregular periods and excess male hormone production, among other symptoms. "Our major goal is to uncover the genetic basis of this disorder since we have good evidence to believe that there is a significant genetic component," said Strauss, who is also the associate chairperson of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He added that the Center's mission is of even greater importance to infertile women because recent evidence suggests that women with the PCOS syndrome are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes when they are older. Strauss added that, in addition to being a site for research and patient care, the Center will be used for educational purposes. "Our goal is also to train the next generation of investigators, basic scientists and physicians," he said. He also encouraged University students to "become involved" in the Center's infertility research, adding that there is a special program to repay the loans of students who have worked for the institution. In 1995, the National Institutes of Health -- which includes the NICHD -- asked for grant proposals from institutions seeking funding to start infertility clinics. Strauss' project -- along with one from the Massachusetts General Hospital -- was selected after undergoing a peer review process. Although NIH does not release information on the number of proposals it rejects for a given grant, Strauss said such grants usually attract "20 to 30" applications. He added that Penn's grant application was "the highest-rated" of all the proposals. National interest in female infertility has increased over the past several years after studies indicating that the problem touches a sizable percentage of American couples. And in its appeal for grant proposals, the NIH estimated that "there are 2.3 million infertile couples" in the United States, representing "about 9 percent of the domestic married couple population base with wives aged 15 to 44." The Penn infertility clinic's work with PCOS addresses an important part of the infertility problem, as the NIH data also indicated that "ovulation failure has been reported to be the underlying cause for at least 25 percent of female factor infertility." Another important aspect of the University's new infertility clinic is that it includes experts from across the country in addition to three Penn researchers. "In terms of the best buck for the taxpayer, this is a great way to do research for women's infertility," according to Penn State University Cellular and Molecular Physiology Professor Jan McAllister, who collaborates on the Center's research. McAllister stressed that infertility is a major problem for women who -- like herself -- postpone having children in order to pursue a career. She added that "there's very little money being poured into ways of making sure that I can reproduce in the future."