1 When can I start to take Replenitol?

There is no set time or age. Treatment should begin as soon as possible in order to correct the metabolic disturbance in PCOS and/or to boost your chances of becoming pregnant. If you are using Replenitol alone to boost your fertility you can start straight away. If you are undergoing IVF, ICSI or other undergoing other professional assistance you should do so in consultation with your clinician. Normally, a 3-month course of treatment is recommended in preparation for IVF etc.

2 How long should I continue taking Replenitol?

You can take Replenitol indefinitely. For women who do not have PCOS but are using Replenitol to boost their chances of having a baby, you can stop treatment once the goal has been achieved. As PCOS is a chronic condition, Replenitol treatment should continue in order to manage the syndrome. Most clinical data indicate that 6 months of treatment yields noticeable effects among the majority of women with PCOS. The time scale depends on the therapeutic target. If the main objective is to treat hyperandrogenism, clinical improvements may become apparent within 3 months and should become more obvious within 6. The underlying metabolic deficiency is corrected by taking Replenitol daily: to maintain the benefit, treatment should be continuous but you may wish to speak with your doctor to discuss whether a lower maintenance dose of, for example, 2 tablets daily is appropriate.

3. How do I take Replenitol?

The majority of the clinical trials proving the effectiveness of the product are based on the administration of 4g of myo-inositol per day, which corresponds to 2 tablets of Replenitol twice per day. For even better bioavailability, you can take one tablet four times daily - one when you wake, one at midday, one at end of the workday and one before you sleep

4. What does Replenitol look, smell and taste like?

Replenitol, made from myo-inositol NF12 - the purest form, is a fine white, odourless powder that is slightly sweet-tasting.

5. Are there any long-term problems associated with taking Replenitol?

Long-term use is free of side effects as it merely returns your physiological balance to a normal state as Replenitol contains an active ingredient already present in the body, that replenishes a metabolic deficiency.

6. Are there any contraindications?

There are no contraindications to the use of Replenitol. Supplementation with Replenitol provides a nutrient that compensates for a deficit (Baillargeon, 2006, Maria de la Calle, 2007). Therefore, co-administration with other drugs and/or supplements does not give rise to any interactions.

7. Can it be taken during pregnancy?

Yes, women who benefit from Replenitol are encouraged to continue taking it throughout pregnancy as it has additional protective effects for you and your baby. Clinical trials conducted on pregnant women showed that myo-inositol reduces the risk of gestational diabetes by 65-91% in women at high risk (D'Anna et al. 2011&2013, Matarelli et al 2013). Myo-inositol in the periconceptional period reduces the incidence of folic acid-resistant neural tube defects (Cavalli, 2011).

8. Inositol, myo-inositol, D-chiro-inositol - what is the difference?

Inositol has 9 isomers including myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol. Although both are insulin mimetic, myo-inositol plays the key role in correcting insulin resistance, lowering your long-term health risk factors and improving follicular development. D-chiro-inositol plays a role in the regulation of glucose metabolism but can have a negative effect on fertility so we recommend that you avoid products that contain it if you have PCOS or are trying to conceive. Your body makes all of the D-chiro-inositol that you need from myo-inositol

9. What is the origin of inositol?

It is of vegetable origin. Replenitol does not contain gluten, lactose or allergen.

10. How does myo-inositol work?

It works in two ways. The primary role is to correct an underlying metabolic deficiency, thereby reversing insulin resistance (IR). IR has a very important role in PCOS - most PCOS patients have a deficiency of myo-inositol (which can be evidenced by lower plasma levels and increased urinary excretion). The lack of myo-inositol gives rise to insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia - the latter is a major cause of hyperandrogenism seen in PCOS. Correcting the deficiency at source corrects the insulin levels and leads to an improvement of symptoms and signs characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome.

It also improves oocyte quality. Myo-inositol is an important component of the follicle; high levels in the follicular fluid are an indication of good-quality oocytes. In vitro, it has been shown that the addition of myo-inositol to the culture medium of murine oocytes improves the meiotic progression and maturation (Chiu et al, 2003).

11. Can Replenitol improve oocyte quality in women without polycystic ovary syndrome?

Yes, Replenitol improves oocyte quality, independent of PCOS.

12. Can Replenitol be used with other treatments?

Replenitol can be considered a first-line treatment for PCOS and it can also be used in conjunction with oral contraceptives, clomiphene and gonadotropins. Depending on medical advice, Replenitol may also be used with metformin, if necessary.

13. Does Replenitol help women with PCOS who do not have insulin resistance?

The active ingredient, myo-inositol, is a building block for cellular mediators (2nd messengers). Most commonly they are associated with mediating the insulin signal but they are also involved with the secretion of normal levels of sex hormones. In particular, Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) which is produced by the hypothalamus, uses this same mechanism to act at the pituitary level. Replenitol has a positive effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which leads to the normalisation of LH:FSH ratio.
Additionally, the effect of myo-inositol on the maturation of the oocytes is independent of insulin resistance and polycystic ovary syndrome

14. Can I breastfeed whilst taking Replenitol?

Yes, it is perfectly safe for you and your baby to continue with Replenitol whilst you are breastfeeding. Because the only active ingredient is present in our normal diet and we make about 4g in our kidneys each day, it is good practice to continue treatment whilst breastfeeding. Some women use formula rather than breast milk - formula milk has to contain the active ingredient by law in the USA, the EU and most other developed countries across the globe. Furthermore, there are relatively high minimum levels that are specified and no upper limits because any excess is readily excreted.

15. How does Replenitol differ from metformin?

Replenitol corrects a metabolic deficiency at source, metformin blocks your body's blood glucose compensatory mechanism. Importantly for you, Replenitol does not have any side effects at the recommended doses. On the other hand, metformin cannot be tolerated by many women because it can have significant gastrointestinal side effects.