Unraveling female reproductive senescence to enhance healthy longevity. 2023

Lu Dong, and Daniel Boon Loong Teh, and Brian Keith Kennedy, and Zhongwei Huang
Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme, NUS Graduate School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

In a society where women often want successful careers and equal opportunities to men, the early nature of ovarian aging often forces women to make difficult life choices between career and family development. Fertility in women begins to decline after the age of 37 years and it is rare for pregnancies to occur after 45. This reproductive decline in women is inevitable and culminates in menopause, which is a major driver of age-related diseases. In a world where biomedical advances are leading to modifiable biological outcomes, it is time to focus on mitigating female reproductive senescence to maintain fertility and preserve age-related hormonal functions, with the goal of providing increased life choices and enhancing healthspan. To date, reproductive longevity research remains an understudied field. More needs to be done to unravel the biology of the ovarian follicles, which are the functional units of reproductive lifespan and are comprised of cell types including the oocyte (female gamete) and a group of specialized supporting somatic cells. Biological attempts to maintain the quality and quantity of follicles in animal models through manipulating pathways involved in aging can potentially prolong female reproductive lifespan and healthspan. Here, we summarize the molecular events driving ovarian aging and menopause and the interventional strategies to offset these events. Developing solutions to female reproductive senescence will open doors to discover ways to enhance true healthy longevity for both men and women.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008136 Longevity The normal length of time of an organism's life. Length of Life,Life Span,Lifespan,Life Spans,Lifespans
D010053 Ovary The reproductive organ (GONADS) in female animals. In vertebrates, the ovary contains two functional parts: the OVARIAN FOLLICLE for the production of female germ cells (OOGENESIS); and the endocrine cells (GRANULOSA CELLS; THECA CELLS; and LUTEAL CELLS) for the production of ESTROGENS and PROGESTERONE. Ovaries
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D012098 Reproduction The total process by which organisms produce offspring. (Stedman, 25th ed) Human Reproductive Index,Human Reproductive Indexes,Reproductive Period,Human Reproductive Indices,Index, Human Reproductive,Indexes, Human Reproductive,Indices, Human Reproductive,Period, Reproductive,Periods, Reproductive,Reproductive Index, Human,Reproductive Indices, Human,Reproductive Periods
D005260 Female Females
D005298 Fertility The capacity to conceive or to induce conception. It may refer to either the male or female. Fecundity,Below Replacement Fertility,Differential Fertility,Fecundability,Fertility Determinants,Fertility Incentives,Fertility Preferences,Fertility, Below Replacement,Marital Fertility,Natural Fertility,Subfecundity,World Fertility Survey,Determinant, Fertility,Determinants, Fertility,Fertility Determinant,Fertility Incentive,Fertility Preference,Fertility Survey, World,Fertility Surveys, World,Fertility, Differential,Fertility, Marital,Fertility, Natural,Preference, Fertility,Preferences, Fertility,Survey, World Fertility,Surveys, World Fertility,World Fertility Surveys
D000375 Aging The gradual irreversible changes in structure and function of an organism that occur as a result of the passage of time. Senescence,Aging, Biological,Biological Aging
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia

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