Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34706964›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2021

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) role in enhancement and maintenance of implantation (DREAM): randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial-study protocol.

Majiyd Abdul Noushin, Apeksha Sahu, Swati Singh, Sankalp Singh, Kannamannadiar Jayaprakasan, Reema Basheer, Aravind Ramachandran, Mohamed Ashraf

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Majiyd Abdul NoushinReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Apeksha SahuReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India drapekshargkar@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-9372-3907
Swati SinghReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Sankalp SinghReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Kannamannadiar JayaprakasanNottingham University Research and Treatment Unit in Reproduction (NURTURE), University of Nottingham, Derby, UK.
Reema BasheerReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Aravind RamachandranReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Mohamed AshrafReproductive Medicine, CRAFT Hospital, Trichur, Kerala, India.
University of Nottingham · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an important precursor of androgen and has been studied and researched extensively for improving the various outcome measures of ovarian stimulation in women with advanced age or poor ovarian response. Androgens also play an important role in the enhancement of endometrial and decidual function by regulating both the transcriptome and secretome of the endometrial stromal cells and have a positive effect on various factors like insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1, homeobox genes (HOXA10, HOXA11), secreted phosphoprotein 1, prolactin which are necessary for implantation. It is well-known that the circulating 'precursor pool' of DHEA declines with age more so in poor ovarian reserve patients and exogenous supplementation may be beneficial in such cases. This double-blinded randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to test the hypothesis whether transient targeted supplementation of DHEA as an adjuvant to progesterone in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles, for women with low serum testosterone, helps in improving live birth rate. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is planned as a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomised trial and the sample size, calculated for the primary outcome measure-live birth rate, is 140. All participants will be having a flexible antagonist protocol for controlled ovarian stimulation and an elective freeze-all policy for the embryos as per the hospital protocol after written informed consent. For FET, the endometrium will be prepared by hormone replacement treatment protocol. During the FET cycle, the intervention group will be receiving DHEA 25 mg two times a day for 15 days from the day of starting progesterone supplementation and the control group will be receiving a placebo. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The approval of the study was granted by the Clinical Trials Registry-India and the Institutional Ethical Committee of CRAFT Hospital and Research Center. All participants will provide written informed consent before being randomised into allocated treatment groups. The results will be disseminated to doctors and patients through conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, social media and patient information booklets. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: CTRI/2020/06/025918; ECR/1044/Inst/KL/2018.

Indexed as

Embryo TransferOvulation InductionDehydroepiandrosteroneDouble-Blind MethodEmbryo ImplantationFemaleHumansLive BirthPregnancyRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicDehydroepiandrosteronereproductive medicinesubfertility

Identifiers

PMID34706964
PMCPMC8552157
OpenAlexW3210719899

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.