"Transgenerational effects of assisted reproduction" research team
Prof. Dr. Dénes Molnár
Prof. Dr. Tibor Ertl
Group activities
The aim of their research is to find out whether in vitro fertilisation procedures affect the hormonal status of the mother and the child after birth. During intrauterine development, the foetus is exposed to various hormonal effects mediated by the transplacental circulation. Some of these hormones cannot yet be produced by the foetus or are produced in small quantities, in which case the hormones delivered by the transplacental circulation play a complementary role. With preterm birth, the intrauterine hormonal link between mother and foetus is broken. Our previous studies have shown that pituitary hormones that influence sexual development, such as FSH or LH, are present in breast milk, their levels being influenced by the pasteurisation procedure. Male neonates are at increased risk of developing hypogonadism later in life, while female infants have increased glycoprotein pituitary hormone exposure, which may later lead to ovarian dysfunction. After birth, breastfeeding is the only biological hormonal link between mother and newborn. However, little is known about the hormones that are released into the developing child through breast milk. The hormones we are investigating in this work are known to be absorbed into the circulation, but it is not known at what levels these hormones are measurable in the developing child.
In the present study, the focus is not only on maternal hormone status, but also on the desirability of conceiving a healthy and reproductive offspring. The assisted reproductive procedure raises many questions about the hormonal regulation of early development and the need to know the amount of hormone effects on the child's body during the period of postnatal adaptation and to detect the amount of hormones actually absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. This will give us an idea of the effects of hormone treatments used during infertility procedures on the mother's body and the developing child after pregnancy. The aim of these procedures is not only to eradicate infertility in the present, but also to create a social perspective and situation that will ensure the sustainability of the reproductive capacity of future healthy generations.
