What if we could delay/eliminate menopause so women could breed for longer??

What if we could delay/eliminate menopause so women could breed for longer??
January 26, 2024

Registered: 18 years ago
Posts: 10,062

Oh yeah, and help reduce or prevent menopause symptoms because they suck, but guys what if we could extend reproductive longevity because that's more important?!

Because yes, let's give serial breeders a way to make babies in their 70s and 80s. You know they'll do it. The idea of helping women not suffer through menopause is a nice concept for sure and I'm all for it, but do we really need something that will help people make even more unnecessary people?

The theory is that healthy ovarian tissue can be taken from a pre-menopausal woman and frozen, then re-implanted to stave off menopause symptoms, up to and including the infertility that accompanies The Change^TM. But there are risks: if too little tissue is harvested, it might not have the intended effect. If too much is harvested, it could cause early onset menopause.

It also specifies that the potential for this to work is only for healthy women. I wonder what exactly qualifies as healthy? Being a healthy weight? Having no underlying diseases? Having no diagnosed mental illnesses? I have to assume this would only be for rich, healthy women because surely freezing tissue costs a fortune. Which is good, from the breeding aspect. It means no welfare Moos will be getting tissue re-implantation done to keep popping out loaves at age 55.

https://www.earth.com/news/study-suggests-menopause-can-be-delayed-or-even-eliminated/

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In an age where medical science continually pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, a new and intriguing research area is emerging, focusing on the potential to delay or even prevent menopause in healthy women.

This research, centered around ovarian tissue freezing, is not just a scientific curiosity but could hold significant implications for women’s health and reproductive longevity.

Paradigm shift in menopause research
The topic of menopause, a natural yet complex phase in a woman’s life, is undergoing a radical re-evaluation. Experts are exploring the possibilities of extending child-bearing years and alleviating health risks and symptoms associated with decreased estrogen levels.

The debate is intense, with some seeing immense potential benefits and others cautioning against altering a natural life stage. At the forefront of this exploration is Dr. Kutluk Oktay, a renowned ovarian biologist at Yale School of Medicine (YSM).

Dr. Oktay, who performed the world’s first ovarian transplant using cryopreserved tissue in 1999, envisions a future where ovarian tissue freezing could significantly delay or prevent menopause. “For the first time in medical history, we have the ability to potentially delay or eliminate menopause.”

Mathematical model
Utilizing data from numerous ovarian cryopreservation and transplantation procedures, Dr. Oktay and his team have developed a mathematical model to predict the potential duration of menopause delay in healthy women based on various factors, including the age at procedure and the quantity of ovarian tissue harvested.

The model takes into account the survival rates of primordial follicles post-transplantation, which are expected to improve with advancing technologies.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation
Originally used in cancer patients to preserve fertility, this procedure involves laparoscopic removal and freezing of ovarian tissue at temperatures as low as negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit. The preserved tissue can later be reimplanted, restoring ovarian function.

The new research expands this technique’s potential to healthy women, offering a way to extend their fertile lifespan and potentially delay menopause.

According to Dr. Oktay, the younger the patient, the better the potential outcomes, with the model being most effective for women under 40. The amount of tissue removed is also critical – too much could lead to early menopause, while too little may not delay it effectively. The model assists in determining the optimum amount of tissue for a given age.

Prospects for delaying menopause
Dr. Oktay’s predictions are optimistic. For women under 40, the procedure could significantly delay menopause, and for those under 30, it might prevent it entirely. Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, Chair at YSM, emphasizes the appeal of this option, especially for women who wish to defer pregnancy for professional or personal reasons.

Delaying menopause could also offer health benefits, as studies suggest that a later menopausal age is associated with longer life and reduced risks of various conditions like cardiovascular disease and bone loss. However, whether these benefits would apply to women who delay menopause through ovarian tissue cryopreservation remains to be fully understood.

Future research
While the publication of studies on the outcomes for healthy women who opt for this procedure is still forthcoming, the current research and mathematical model offer a promising start.

The potential to change the way menopause is perceived and managed is immense, but it comes with the need for continued research to fully understand the long-term benefits and risks.