Nobuhiko Suganuma

Kyoto University, Japan



Biography

Nobuhiko Suganuma—MD, PhD—is a Professor in the Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. He is the Director of Japan Societies of Fertilization and Implantation, Maternal Health, Reproductive Psychology, and Sexual Science. He is also the Councilor of Japan Society of Reproductive Medicine, and Japan Endocrine Society. Recently, he became the President of Japan Society for Uterus Transplantation (JSUTx), and a Vice President of International Society of Uterus Transplantation (ISUTx), specializing in Uterine Factor Infertility Treatment. As a Reproductive Endocrinologist, he demonstrated that the PCOS occurrence could be connected with LH gene variation using molecular biological technologies. Based on this work, he received the Research Award from the Japan Endocrine Society in 1996. Based on the clinical aspects, his group could succeed the first childbirth in Japan in 1994 using TESE-ICSI method. He has established a Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine in Kyoto University Hospital in 2013, and is performing cryopreservation of oocytes or ovarian tissues as oncofertility management

Abstract

As the management for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends a treatment using oral contraceptive (OC) or progestin, prior to desiring pregnancy because PCOS is a progressive disease. However, in Japan, OC-users for contraception are only 3%, which means that OC is not a familiar treatment amongst Japanese people. Recently, a medicine consisting of low-dose estrogen-progestin (LEP) became available for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, covered with National Health Insurance. Moreover, a tablet containing much lower hormone doses (Lunabell ULD: ethinyl-estradiol 0.02mg/norethisterone 1mg, Nobelpharma Co.) is widely used. For the management of PCOS women, the effects of OC, LEP, and conventional Kaufmann therapy (conjugated estrogens/progestin) were evaluated from the viewpoints of improvement of gonadotropins (luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)) and androgen secretion. The side-effects such as irregular genital bleeding, digestive symptoms, and liver function were compared among those medicines. By indicating our results, we can discuss a better way to prepare the future childbearing among PCOS women