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A new health benefit of green tea seems to appear every year. This time, it promises to aid women with fertility complications. Alongside its calming effect on enjoyers, tea is rich in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This natural flavor molecule has been identified as a drug of interest that reduces the size of uterine fibroids. As women age, they run the risk of developing these fibroids, which are non-cancerous tumors in the uterus that adversely affect the ability of women to get pregnant and can complicate pregnancies. Common treatments currently require strong medication or minimally invasive surgery to treat fibroids.
Ayman Al-Hendy, a professor at the University of Chicago Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, currently leads an ongoing study with Yale professor Heping Zhang to test the efficacy of EGCG as a counter to unexplained fertility problems linked with fibroids. The longitudinal study brings in women with unexplained infertility and begins treatment with EGCG and artificial insemination. Monthly checkups and ultrasounds are continued for months until a fetus is detected. Prior study showed a lofty thirty-three percent decrease in fibroid tumor size over a six month period, while the placebo group showed an increase.
Looking towards the future, Al-Hendy’s goal is to provide a cost-effective way to help parents start families. “If the pregnant woman or young girl in very early years is exposed to environmental pollution [it] can program her uterus to unfortunately have more inflammation and later on to develop those tumors, and unfortunately black communities tend to have more chances to be exposed to that,” Al-Hendy stressed. The EGCG supplement costs about four dollars a month. This tea blend has the potential to help communities that are the most impacted by unexplained fertility in the most cost-effective and effective way.