Serum DHEA-Sulfate /Dehydroepiandrosterone-Sulfate Test

What does DHEA sulfate do in females?

• They are one of the major sources of androgens in women. Although DHEA-sulfate is the most abundant hormone in the body, its exact function is still not known.
• In men, the male hormone effect may not be important if the testosterone level is normal. In women, DHEA contributes to normal libido and sexual satisfaction.

What is a normal DHEA level for a woman?

• 145 to 395 micrograms per deciliter
• In women, normal levels in 18- and 19-year-olds range from 145 to 395 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL), before declining. In your 20s, DHEAS levels range between 65 and 380 mcg.
• For 30-something women, normal levels range from 45 to 270 mcg/dL, with levels further dropping to 32 to 240 mcg/dL in your 40s.

• If your level of DHEA-S is high, it means that your body is making too much of the hormones. This excess may be related to adrenal cancer, tumors, or excess growth of adrenal hormone-producing tissue (hyperplasia). If your DHEA level is low, it may mean that your adrenal glands are not making enough hormones.

What is dehydroepiandrosterone in a blood test?

• This test measures the levels of DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) in your blood. DHEAS stands for dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. DHEAS is a male sex hormone that is found in both men and women. DHEAS plays an important role in making the male sex hormone testosterone and the female sex hormone estrogen.

What is the treatment for high DHEA sulfate levels?

• In the case of an adrenal tumor, you may need surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. If you have congenital adrenal hyperplasia or polycystic ovary syndrome, you may require hormone therapy to stabilize your level of DHEA.

Can you get pregnant with high DHEA sulfate?

• DHEA is a precursor to many steroid hormones, including testosterone and estrogen.

What are the symptoms of too much DHEA?

• The use of DHEA also might worsen psychiatric disorders and increase the risk of mania in people who have mood disorders. DHEA also might cause oily skin, acne, and unwanted, male-pattern hair growth in women (hirsutism).

Can high DHEA cause weight gain?

• May increase the risk of developing prostate, breast, ovarian, uterine, or cervical cancer and malignant melanoma or other hormonally-affected cancers. Hormonal side effects can be significant, including acne, skin changes, excess hair or hair loss, increased sweating, and weight gain.

How does high DHEA affect fertility?

• Higher chance of spontaneous conception. Shorter time to pregnancy. A higher number of eggs and embryos in IVF cycles. Improved egg quality and embryo quality in IVF cycles.

Can stress cause high DHEA levels?

• The DHEA levels increased following acute mental stress, whatever the type and duration of mental stress. Females, young people, and obese individuals had a higher increase in DHEA levels following acute stress.

What is DHEA sulfate fertility?

• DHEA-S is used to build sex hormones that support reproductive health in men and women. Low or elevated DHEA-S levels affect fertility, bone health, and even cognition. Sex hormones are critical to human health.

Can DHEA affect ovulation?

• Our results show that DHEA supplementation improves ovarian function in poor responders and in women over 40 years, suggesting that this molecule alone can raise fecundity and fertility treatment success in women with poor prognoses for pregnancy.

How much DHEA should a perimenopausal woman take?

• It should be noted that while many studies presented below used a supplemental DHEA dose of 50 mg/day, in clinical practice a dose of 10-25 mg may be more appropriate for some women.

What does DHEA do for pregnancy?

• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation improves pregnancy chances in women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), by possibly reducing aneuploidy. Since a large majority of spontaneous miscarriages are associated with aneuploidy, one can speculate that DHEA supplementation may also reduce miscarriage rates.

Can high DHEA cause miscarriage?

• Discussion: Since DOR patients in the literature are reported to experience significantly higher miscarriage rates than average IVF patients, the here observed reduction in miscarriages after DHEA supplementation exceeds, however, all expectations.

Can menopause cause high DHEA levels?

• Data from the SWAN study has demonstrated that during the menopausal transition, a gender specific change in DHEA-S levels has been observed with > 84% of women experiencing an increase in DHEA-S levels from premenopause/early perimenopause to late perimenopause/early postmenopause.

What does DHEA do for egg quality?

• Adding a DHEA supplement for at least 6-8 weeks before the start of an IVF cycle improves egg quality and results in overall better outcomes. These beneficial effects on the eggs appear to be exerted through androgen receptors that are on the cells—called granulosa cells—that surround and support the developing eggs.

Why is DHEA used for infertility?

• Several studies have suggested an improvement in pregnancy rates with the use of DHEA. Potential mechanisms include improved follicular steroidogenesis, increased IGF-1, acting as a pre-hormone for follicular testosterone, reducing aneuploidy, and increasing AMH and antral follicle count.

What does DHEA do for menopause?

• It is possible that the administration of DHEA may increase estrogen and testosterone levels in peri- and postmenopausal women to alleviate their symptoms and improve general wellbeing and sexual function (for example libido, dyspareunia, satisfaction).

Does DHEA improve implantation?

• They found that treating womb lining cells with DHEA in a dish doubled the level of key proteins associated with healthy implantation in the tissue. DHEA treatment also increased the production of active androgens — hormones found in high levels in men — suggesting that these could underlie the improvement.

How much DHEA is too much?

• DHEA has been used safely for up to 2 years, usually in doses of 50 mg daily. DHEA side effects are usually mild and might include acne and upset stomach. DHEA is possibly unsafe when used in high doses or long-term. Do not use DHEA in doses higher than 50-100 mg daily or for a long period of time.

Does DHEA delay period?

• Since the hormones estrogen and progesterone are critical for conception and sustaining pregnancies, any imbalance affects the menstrual cycle and fertility. DHEA is the building block for estrogen, and low levels may result in a short or interrupted cycle.

Is DHEA in prenatal vitamins?

• Currently, no other prenatal vitamins on the market contain the fertility-supporting benefit of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to would-be mothers over 35, whose natural fertility may be on the wane.

What does a high DHEA test mean?

• If your results show high levels of DHEA sulfate (DHEAS), it may mean you have one of the following conditions: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, an inherited disorder of the adrenal glands. A tumor of the adrenal gland. It may be benign (noncancerous) or cancerous. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

What food has DHEA?