Fertility: Age is no barrier...

Benjamin Franklin said that the only certainties in this world are death and taxes. To these, women might add a third: the menopause.

But this year, two separate developments have suggested that Franklin was right after all.

In March came a report indicating that ovaries contain stem cells that might be prompted to carry on making eggs throughout a woman's adult life.

Then, in October, Belgian doctors reported that a woman whose ovaries were damaged by cancer chemotherapy had given birth, possibly owing to a graft of her own preserved ovarian tissue that they had transplanted into her body. Together, these results hinted that women might one day be able to delay starting their families until their forties or beyond.

The scientists working on these projects aim to develop methods to preserve the fertility of women who have been driven through a premature menopause by treatments for diseases such as cancer.

But given that many women in industrialized societies want to delay reproduction while they further their careers, such methods are inevitably also going to be seen as tools for healthy women.

Full article: Nature.com

Photo credit: Cari Ellen and Jadyn, by aturkus / Alan Turkus, on Flickr
Some rights reserved

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Every Drunken Cheerleader: Why Not Me?
by Kristine Ireland Waits

-- If you're eager to have a baby, doesn't the title say enough? Laugh, cry, share, relate - LOVE this book and all it offers to your soul. It's wit, wisdom and warmth from an author you'll quickly see as your sincere fertility-challenged friend.

This information-packed, inspiring story is for women who are struggling with infertility and for those trying to support them.

Enjoy an easy-reading journey you'll remember throughout life. Overwhelmed at the idea of dealing with friends' baby showers, insurance, husbands, needles, tears, heartbreak and surprises?

This book captures it all in a delightful way that's packed full of truths and challenges to keep you moving forward. Indulge in a journey - reading this book - that will have you throwing your head back in laughter, curling up in the comfort of feeling understood, having raw honesty give you permission to be exactly who you are.

Indulge. You deserve this! Get one for your best friend and your mom too.

Paperback: 168 pages
Click to order/for more info: Every Drunken Cheerleader

Start reading Every Drunken Cheerleader on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

Category: menopause, ovaries, pregnancy, research, stem-cell research