by Corey Whelan
A new study led by reproductive biologist Dr.Mary Herbert at Newcastle University's Institute for Ageing and Health was recently released, offering groundbreaking new information on older women and their fertility potential.
While it has been known for many years that women above the age of 34 tend to produce an overabundance of abnormal eggs, the reason for this has not been made clear until now. Herbert's study indicates that a decrease in a type of protein called cohesins is the culprit in declining egg quality. The diminishment of this protein leads to not only an increase in infertility for older women, but also to a greater potential for miscarriage, as well as higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in offspring born, including Down's Syndrome.
Cohesins act like a type of glue, holding the chromosomes together inside of a ring. This ensures that the chromosomes split evenly when the cells divide. When levels of cohesins decline, chromosomes tend to not hold together as tightly as needed and the ring structure can be too soft, or floppy, for cell division to occur correctly. This has been shown to result in eggs which are often not viable for conception.
Herbert was quoted in the journal Current Biology as stating, "Reproductive fitness in women declines dramatically from their mid-30's onward. Our findings point to cohesin being a major culprit in this. More work is needed to understand why cohesin declines over a woman's reproductive years, and such knowledge could lead to ways being developed to stop that loss from occurring."
This knowledge could also prove to be pivotal in the occurrence of higher pregnancy rates, diminished miscarriage rates and less birth defects in children born to older potential moms as well.
Reprinted with permission from www.examiner.com
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