A groundbreaking study from Northwestern Medicine has identified a potential method to enhance the healthspan of ovaries, thereby improving their function and maintenance as women age. This research, conducted in mice, sheds light on how to prevent age-related changes in ovarian health, which is crucial for overall women’s health.
The ovaries play a vital role in female reproductive health, producing eggs and hormones that regulate menstruation, pregnancy, bone density, and mood. However, as women approach menopause—typically around age 51—ovarian function declines significantly, akin to a factory nearing closure. Despite advances in healthcare allowing women to live longer, the average age of menopause has remained stable, highlighting the need for improved ovarian health to match increased life expectancy.
Francesca Duncan, the study’s corresponding author and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, stated, “We’ve changed the landscape of how we live, and our ovarian function needs to catch up so that we have an organ that functions proportionately to maintain women’s healthspans longer.”
The findings of this study will be published on September 16 in the journal GeroScience.
In this study, researchers utilized Pirfenidone, a drug primarily used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, to assess its effects on ovarian health. While this specific drug is not yet suitable for clinical use in this context due to potential side effects, including liver toxicity, the research demonstrates a proof-of-concept for modulating ovarian fibrosis and improving outcomes. Duncan noted, “We are now actively working to find a safe and effective drug to do this in humans.”
Previous research by Duncan’s team revealed that aging ovaries become inflamed, fibrotic, and stiff, creating conditions that may promote cancer cell proliferation. Additionally, stiffness in the ovaries negatively impacts egg quality, contributing to the decline in fertility that many women experience in their 30s and 40s.
In the new study, mice treated with medication to reduce ovarian scarring exhibited increased follicle counts, enhanced ovulation, and maintained normal hormone levels. Duncan remarked, “Right now, our solutions for the age-related decline in fertility, such as freezing one’s eggs, are a Band-Aid. You’re still going to be transferring those embryos into an older woman, which has its own risks.”
While extending the fertility window is a potential outcome of this research, Duncan emphasized that it is not the primary goal. “Not everyone is concerned about having children,” she said. The study aims to enhance the ovarian environment to ensure the continued production of essential hormones later in life. Low levels of estrogen and progesterone can lead to various health issues, including accelerated bone loss, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, vaginal discomfort, and cognitive decline.
“If you fix the ovarian environment, you solve all the problems because you have follicles and eggs that can contribute to fertility and hormone production,” Duncan explained. “It’s fixing the root of the issue.”
The study, titled “Systemic Low-Dose Anti-Fibrotic Treatment Attenuates Ovarian Aging in the Mouse,” was funded by the Global Consortium for Reprod
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