September 2024

OBGYN

STUDY FINDS TREATMENT THAT MAY EXTEND OVARIAN FUNCTION IN OLDER AGE

Featuring: Francesca Duncan, PhD​

​A woman’s ovaries are like a factory where eggs grow and produce hormones that regulate everything from menstruation and pregnancy to bone density and mood. As she and her factory age, production dwindles, and by the time she hits menopause (age 51, on average), the factory is preparing to shut its doors. 
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A new Northwestern Medicine study in mice has discovered a novel way to lengthen the “healthspan” of this factory — improving maintenance of the ovaries and preventing key age-related changes in ovarian function. “Healthspan” refers to the length of time a person remains healthy and free from serious illness or chronic diseases.

“The average age of menopause has stayed constant over the years, but women are living decades longer than that because of health and medical advances,” said corresponding author Francesca Duncan, PhD, associate professor of Reproductive Science in Medicine in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Medicine. “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.”

​This article was originally published the journal GeroScience on September 16, 2024. 
Francesca Duncan, PhD, associate professor of Reproductive Science in Medicine in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Medicine.

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