- Menopause describes the point in life when the last menstrual cycle occurs, which happens around the age of 50 in women. Ovarian reserve depletes in the years, and decades, before menopause occurs.
- Many welcome the end to periods and worries about unwanted pregnancy, but menopause, and the perimenopause before it, is often accompanied by troubling symptoms such as hot flashes, cognitive problems, night sweats, vaginal dryness, anxiety, and a reduced sex drive.
- Now, researchers may have found a way to delay, and perhaps even prevent, menopause.
- A modeling study suggests that by removing, freezing, and then reimplanting ovarian tissue, the fertile years can be extended long beyond the normal age of menopause.
Menopause, which for most women happens between the ages of 40 and 58, signals the end of the reproductive years. Although the end of monthly periods and worries about birth control is often welcome, many people will experience a less welcome range of physical and mental symptoms.
These symptoms, which may include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, anxiety, and a reduced sex drive, can start long before menopause and continue for several years afterward. So, could a treatment that delays, or even prevents, menopause be beneficial?
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine believe that it would and may have found a way to do it. They suggest that by freezing ovarian tissue taken from a woman during her reproductive years and then reimplanting it at a later stage, they could delay, or even prevent menopause.
The mathematical modeling study is published in theAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“This is very interesting data on the forefront of science-cryopreservation of the ovaries — especially useful for people undergoing chemotherapy and/radiation for cancer treatment. These techniques can protect and preserve the ovarian tissue for reimplantation. The modeling, predicting how long menopause can be delayed is interesting but not currently…
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