Could this stem cell study point to a therapy for women struggling with fertility?

Findings of study by Chinese scientists may help extend women’s reproductive lifespan as the average age of having children rises

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A new Chinese fertility study could help extend women’s reproductive lifespans. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 11:59am, 8 Nov 2024Updated: 3:50pm, 8 Nov 2024

Chinese scientists have used stem cell transplant to extend the reproductive lifespan of female monkeys – and the findings could help improve fertility for women.

With an increasing number of women having their first child later in life, many face trouble conceiving due to the natural ageing process.

“Physiological ovarian ageing is an inevitable process that affects female reproduction and can reduce life quality,” the team, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, wrote in a paper published in the Nature journal, Cell Discovery, on November 5.

“Unfortunately, there is currently no effective treatment available to fundamentally restore ovarian function and improve fertility.”

Transplanting stem cells into ovaries that have undergone premature ageing has shown promise in rescuing ovarian function, so the team decided to test whether this could also work on naturally ageing ovaries.

“We found [that the stem cell] treated monkeys presented ameliorated hormone levels, their ovaries showed more growing follicles, as well as higher levels of proliferation and lower levels of fibrosis,” the team said.