Reproductive age extension

In all areas of regenerative medicine, there are pressing needs. So many tissues in the human body are susceptible to aging, cancers, and other challenges. Fertility, however, is one area of regenerative medicine that you may not have considered.

While men can retain fertility well into old age, women typically have a much shorter period of optimal fertility. Although some women show fertility into their late 40s, the quality and quantity of their eggs reduce quite dramatically. For some women the situation is dire, as they enter premature ovarian insufficiency, also known as early menopause. At the moment, there is absolutely nothing that can be done for these women. They must use donor eggs if they want to conceive, a tough decision for many. If we were able to rejuvenate their natural ovaries their natural fertility process could be restored.

Over the years ahead, advances along multiple lines will bring extensions to female fertility. Among the most promising approaches are stem cells, using mitochondrial regeneration in the ovaries, or re-activating ovarian function using platelet-rich plasmas.