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Dha9.0
DHEA Research
Probably helpsModerate safety
27 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Probably helps
DHEA helped in about half (4/8) of the studies that measured an effect — promising, but not unanimous.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1999–2026 with a typical study size of 686 participants.
Based on 27 studies · 13 meta-analyses · 1 RCT · 15,617 total participants
Confidence
High
What the studies found
4helped2unclear2didn't help· 19 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Women's healthMay help manage menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and mood changes · 4-8 weeks · Supports healthy estrogen metabolism and hormonal equilibrium · 4-8 weeks
Limited support7 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Mostly mechanism / observational5 studies
Fertility & reproductiveMay support reproductive health and fertility markers · 4-12 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Men's vitalityDirect precursor to testosterone and estrogen synthesis · 4-8 weeks
Bone healthSupports bone mineral density and skeletal strength · 8-12 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Anxiety & stress
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Glucose & metabolic
Too few graded studies2 studies
Safety profile
Too few graded studies2 studies
Cognitive function
Too few graded studies1 study
Cholesterol & lipids
Too few graded studies1 study
By the numbers
Pulled from 20 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
80%
across studies
People studied
16k
typical study: 686 people
Strongest designs
14
13 pooled, 1 randomised
Showed benefit
50%
4/8 studies
Populations Studied
Poor ovarian response patients undergoing IVF-ET1
Patients with diminished ovarian reserve/poor ovarian response1
Poor responders undergoing IVF1
Patients with schizophrenia1
Active research area
17 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2025
199920122026
1Clinical pregnancy rateMeta-AnalysisCited 11×n=2,323 · very large study2023
Compared with COS regimen, the adjuvant use of CoQ10, DHEA and GH before IVF may have a better clinical effect on the pregnancy outcome of POR patients.
Zhu F et al. · Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E (2023)
Huge harm
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Compared with the control group, CoQ10 (OR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.05 to 4.71) and DHEA (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.16 to 3.16) had obvious advantages in improving the clinical pregnancy rate.
CoQ10 was the best in improving the live birth rate (OR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.07 to 5.38).
DHEA increased the embryo implantation rate (OR 2.80, 95%CI: 1.41 to 5.57) and the high-quality embryo rate (OR 2.01, 95% CI: 1.07 to 3.78) and number of oocytes retrieved (WMD 1.63, 95% CI: 0.34 to 2.92) showed a greater advantage, with GH in second place.
5DHEA-S levelsMeta-AnalysisCited 51×n=1,742 · large study2018
Effect size (ES) estimates were calculated as Hedges' g.
Misiak B et al. · Psychoneuroendocrinology (2018)
Large benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
Effect size (ES) estimates were calculated as Hedges' g.
Main analysis revealed elevated DHEA-S levels in the whole group of patients (ES = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.23-1.28, p = 0.005).
In subgroup analyses, patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) had significantly higher levels of free testosterone (ES = 1.21, 95%CI: 0.30-2.12, p = 0.009) and DHEA-S (ES = 1.19, 95%CI: 0.66-1.71, p < 0.001).
6Sexual symptomsMeta-AnalysisCited 70×n=1,188 · large study2014
Evidence warranting low confidence suggests that DHEA administration does not significantly impact sexual symptoms or selected metabolic markers in postmenopausal women with normal adrenal function.
Elraiyah T et al. · The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2014)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Borderline
DHEA use was not associated with significant improvement in libido or sexual function (standardized mean difference, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, -0.02 to 0.73; P value = .06; I(2) = 62%).
Evidence warranting low confidence suggests that DHEA administration does not significantly impact sexual symptoms or selected metabolic markers in postmenopausal women with normal adrenal function.
7Live birth rateMeta-AnalysisCited 30×n=368 · medium study2025
Specific interventions such as testosterone seem to correlate with a better live birth rate in women with DOR; these findings should be further explored in randomized trials.
Conforti A et al. · Fertility and sterility (2025)
Huge harm
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Testosterone supplementation is associated with higher live birth rates compared with nonsupplemented women among all interventions evaluated (odds ratio: 2.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-4.32, four studies, 368 patients).
Lower number of oocytes retrieved is achieved in women undergoing low dose gonadotropin regimen vs high dose (WMD: -1.57, 95% CI: -2.12 to -1.17; 2 studies, n = 905 patients), The other interventions did not produce significant improvements.
Specific interventions such as testosterone seem to correlate with a better live birth rate in women with DOR; these findings should be further explored in randomized trials.
8Depressive symptomsMeta-AnalysisCited 8×n=742 · large study2020
However, these results should be viewed with caution, since the quality of evidence for this outcome was considered very low according to the GRADE criteria.
Peixoto C et al. · Journal of neuroscience research (2020)
No hormonal changes that indicated any risk to the participants' health were seen.
Side effects observed were uncommon, mild, and transient, but commonly related to androgyny.
In conclusion, DHEA was associated with a beneficial effect on depressive symptoms compared to placebo.
12Systematic ReviewCited 11×n=55 · small study2022
We identified literature that lacks coherence in terms of the proposed treatments and selected outcome measures.
Sarmento ACA et al. · Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia (2022)
We identified literature that lacks coherence in terms of the proposed treatments and selected outcome measures.
The present review is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42018100488).
14Serum estradiol levels with hormonal treatmentsMeta-AnalysisCited 12×n=17 · very small study2023
We found that, among patients treated with the estriol and estradiol preparations, there was an average increase of 7.67 pg/mL (SMD 7.67 pg/mL; 95% CI -1.00, 16.35; p < .001).
Comini ACM et al. · Clinical breast cancer (2023)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
We found that, among patients treated with the estriol and estradiol preparations, there was an average increase of 7.67 pg/mL (SMD 7.67 pg/mL; 95% CI -1.00, 16.35; p < .001).
In conclusion, among treatments available for BC survivors, low-dose vaginal estrogen showed the smallest changes in serum estradiol levels and had the most evidence, but safety remains unclear, especially for patients on aromatase inhibitors.
Alternative treatments such as ospemifene need more data supporting safety and efficacy.
Overall, supplementation with DHEA did not change circulating values of TC, LDL-C and TG, whereas it may decrease HDL-C levels.
Qin Y et al. · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD (2020)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
In addition, a significant reduction in HDL-C values was observed in studies comprising women (WMD: -5.1 mg/dl, 95% CI: -7.2 to -3) but not in males (WMD: 0.13 mg/dl, 95% CI: -1.4 to 1.7).
Overall, supplementation with DHEA did not change circulating values of TC, LDL-C and TG, whereas it may decrease HDL-C levels.
Further long-term RCTs are required to investigate the effects of DHEA particularly on major adverse cardiac events.
This systematic review evaluated the association between FPG and DHEA, revealing that the administration of DHEA reduces FPG levels.
Wang X et al. · Complementary therapies in medicine (2020)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
Overall results demonstrated that FPG was significantly altered after DHEA consumption (WMD: -2.185 mg/dl, P = 0.029).
DHEA administration did not result in any significant changes in IN (WMD: 0.057 μU/mL, P = 0.067), and the HOMA - IR index (WMD: 0.174, P = 0.060).
In the subgroup analyses, FPG significantly decreased in the subgroup who received DHEA supplementation in dosages of ≤50 mg/day (WMD: -2.29 mg/dl), when the treatment duration was <12 weeks (WMD: -5.25 mg/dl), and in subjects aged ≥60 years (WMD: -2.94 mg/dl).
20HPA axis dysregulation and treatment toxicity predictionSystematic Review2026
De Nys L · Journal of geriatric oncology (2026)
However, their predictive value for acute treatment toxicities remains underexplored due to methodological heterogeneity, lack of age-specific reference ranges, and absence from existing geriatric toxicity models.
Incorporating endocrine biomarkers into risk prediction could refine treatment stratification, enable targeted supportive care, and ultimately improve outcomes for older patients with cancer.