Technique that could allow older and post-menopausal women to conceive (photos)

A team of Greek Scientists claim to have effectively reversed menopause by 'rejuvenating' women's ovaries.

The Greek team say the technique enabled women to release eggs and re-start their periods.

One woman began menstruating after a five-year hiatus, New Scientist reports.  

'It offers a window of hope that menopausal women will be able to get pregnant using their own genetic material,' Konstantinos Sfakianoudis, a gynaecologist at the Greek fertility clinic Genesis Athens, told the magazine.

The new technique involves platelet-rich plasma (PRP) - a concentrated mix of substances in the blood that help cells grow - and may stimulate tissue regeneration.

Dr Sfakianoudis and his team found PRP also seems to rejuvenate older ovaries.

When they injected it into the ovaries of menopausal women, they claim it restarted their menstrual cycles, and enabled them to collect and fertilise the eggs that were released.

He told New Scientist: 'I had a patient whose menopause had established five years ago, at the age of 40.

'Six months after the team injected PRP into her ovaries, she experienced her first period since menopause.'

If the treatment continues to show promise, it could potentially allow older women and those who have suffered premature menopause to conceive.