Mumbai’s government-run Cama Hospital, already notable as the first public-sector facility to offer free infertility treatments for women, has introduced PRP therapy to improve ovarian reserves.
PRP (platelet-rich plasma), a concentrated blood product rich in growth factors and cytokines, is injected into the ovaries to stimulate egg production and repair ovarian tissues.
Studies show PRP repairs damaged ovarian tissues, increases growth of follicles in ovaries, and stimulates egg production. Therefore, it is being considered as an additional treatment for women who are interested in IVF.
Medical superintendent Dr. Tushar Palve explained that PRP is widely used in orthopaedics, dermatology, and ophthalmology, with applications in obstetrics and gynaecology now being explored.
At Cama Hospital, PRP is offered to women with an Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) level below 3. Recently, a patient received PRP via laparoscopy as part of her infertility treatment.
According to Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, a senior infertility expert at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra, he has been using PRP to women with low reproductive reserves. “We started offering PRP 3 years ago.” The objective is to use PRP as an option to improve egg production, and some women who are not interested in donations are offered it by their doctors. However, he cautioned that PRP’s success rate is low, calling it a “fringe therapy.”
Dr. Ameet Patki of the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction said that PRP’s role in infertility has not yet been fully established. It should be restricted to research settings until its efficacy is confirmed,” he advised.
While promising, PRP therapy offers hope with caution for women seeking alternatives in fertility care.