Clomid and other fertility drugs are a cause of autism
On May 20, 2010, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health presented the findings of a study exploring the possible relationship between the use of fertility drugs and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Scientists told attendees at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia that women who used fertility drugs to get pregnant had nearly double the risk of having a child with ASD versus nonusers. Drugs studied included Clomid (clomiphene citrate) and Pergonal (gonadotropin).
This recent study is part of a growing body of research that strengthens the argument that Clomid and other similar drugs are a cause of ASD through their ability to deny cholesterol to a developing embryo soon after conception. About 58% of children with ASD have low total cholesterol (<160 mg/dL) and about 19% have extremely low total cholesterol (<100 mg/dL). The average level for children is 165 mg/dL. It has also been observed that a high percentage of children born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS), in addition to a wide range of birth defects, are also born with ASD. Babies with SLOS are born with a defective enzyme that affects the body's ability to convert a precursor (7-dehydrocholesterol) to cholesterol. About 71-86% of these children suffer from ASD. Cholesterol is essential for the growth of the myelin membranes that cover the brain, and abnormalities in the myelin sheath are thought to be a contributing cause of ASDs. Therefore, many experts believe that low cholesterol during early embryonic development is one of the causes of ASD.
Clomid has a long half-life and is present during the embryonic period (first 8 weeks) even when taken before conception. Studies have shown that it is biologically active for up to 54 days after ingestion and that it may accumulate over successive cycles of treatment. In the Harvard study they found that the longer fertility drugs were used, the greater the risk of developing ASD. A critically important fact, and unknown to most prescribing physicians, is that Clomid is a cholesterol inhibitor. and the chances of its production by acting on enzymes in the body similar to Lipitor and other statins. Its chemical structure is also similar to the cholesterol-lowering drug, Triparanol, which became available briefly during the 1960s. Animal studies have shown that Clomid and Triparanol act on the same enzyme and affect developing organs in similar ways, Triparanol being a bit more potent.
Pergonal (also known as human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG) also lowers cholesterol, but through a different mechanism. That is, it suppresses cholesterol levels in early pregnancy through its ability to increase estrogen production. Studies have established that after hyperstimulation of the ovaries by Pergonal, the resulting elevated estrogen during the luteal phase (postovulation) of the cycle suppresses total cholesterol level. In fact, there is an inverse correlation between estrogen concentrations and total cholesterol level: the higher the estrogen level, the lower the total cholesterol concentration.
The GOOD NEWS is that many children with ASD with low cholesterol, treated with cholesterol supplements, have shown dramatic improvement. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, led by Dr. Richard Kelley, have shown that such treatment improves mobility, verbalization, growth, behavior, sociability, and alertness. More importantly, once we fully understand the cause of ASD, we will be in a position to eliminate that cause and reduce the number of families affected by this tragic abnormality.