STUDY HYPOTHESIS Maternal ageing and ovarian stimulation result in the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions and heteroplasmy in individual oocytes from a novel bovine model for human assisted reproductive technology (ART). STUDY FINDING The levels of mtDNA deletions detected in oocytes increased with ovarian ageing. Low levels of mtDNA heteroplasmy were apparent across oocytes ...

The gradual increase in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations in women approaching menopause results from the depletion of the ovarian follicular pool, a process referred to as 'ovarian ageing'. This study investigates whether variable endogenous FSH concentrations, as have been observed in normo-ovulatory young women, are related to menstrual cycle characteristics, including predic...

STUDY QUESTION Is type 1 diabetes a determinant of advanced ovarian ageing, resulting in an early age at natural menopause? SUMMARY ANSWER No clear evidence was provided that type 1 diabetes is a determinant of accelerated ovarian ageing resulting in an early menopause. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The association between type 1 diabetes and early menopause has been examined previously with incons...

Ovarian reserve is an estimate of the primordial follicle pool in the ovaries and is indicative of the reproductive age of a woman. This estimate helps in assessing a woman’s reproductive potential, in predicting her possible response in assisted conception, and in screening women for “early ovarian ageing” as a possible cause for subfertility. Over the years, several methods have been used for...

It is well established that age-related decline of the biological capacity of a woman to reproduce is primarily related to the poor developmental potential of her gametes. This renders female ageing the most significant determinant of success in IVF. Starting with a reference picture of the main molecular and cellular failures of aged oocytes, granulosa cells and follicular microenvironment, th...

STUDY QUESTION What are the effects of exposure of ovarian tissue to dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation in vivo? SUMMARY ANSWER DHEA exposure stimulates initiation of primordial follicles and development of gonadotrophin-responsive preantral/early antral follicles possibly mediated through promoting granulosa cell proliferation and enhancing anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) expression....

BACKGROUND Reproductive function following cancer treatment is of increasing importance with improving survival rates. We therefore assessed the markers of the ovarian reserve in premenopausal women, to investigate and compare the effects of chemotherapy and long-term gonadotrophin withdrawal on ovarian function. METHODS Fifty premenopausal (age range 28-52 years) women with early breast canc...

The ovary is the main regulator of female fertility, and its biologic clock is set to ensure reproductive success during a definite life stage. According to the evolutionary concept that organisms maximize fitness by promoting production of progeny, allocation of resources between reproductive and somatic functions is finely regulated during life [1]. Thus, it has been speculated that the prema...

Exposure to an adverse early-life environment leads to long-term health problems, many of which are recapitulated in subsequent generations. The female reproductive tract is particularly sensitive to early-life influences, and plays a pivotal role in programming the conceptus. We examine the influence of suboptimal grandmaternal diet on reproductive potential of granddaughters in the absence of...