But when she learned about the new technique, which claims to rejuvenate the reproductive organs by injecting blood plasma into the ovaries and womb, Natalia says she “dived right in”.
She says she conceived just nine days after receiving the injection and is now ten weeks pregnant with twins.
Her doctors said she is the first woman to become pregnant naturally after undergoing the therapy.
“I had nothing to lose,” Natalia told the newspaper.
“Doctors had already told me I was a lost cause. But then a miracle followed.”
Natalia’s doctors believe the technique could reverse the menopause, giving couples the chance to have a family well into middle age.
Dr Konstantinos Pantos, who founded the Genesis clinic in Athens where Natalia received the treatment, said that out of 27 menopausal women treated in an experimental study that started last year, 12 managed to ovulate.
“That in itself, is a huge medical milestone,” he said, adding that researchers “still have to be cautious” as the research is still in its early stages.
The treatment uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which triggers the growth of tissue and blood vessels and is believed to accelerate the repair of damaged bones and muscles through stimulated tissue regeneration.
The PRP is injected into the ovaries of women who have already undergone the menopause and restarts their menstrual cycles, causing them to experience periods again.
Dr Pantos said as many as 180 women have already undergone the treatment. He and his colleagues hope to publish their research this year.
/The Independent/
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