Grant: Project Grant

A woman's fertility declines sharply beginning at about 35 years of age. In large part, this is due to a decrease in the quality of her oocytes, meaning in their ability to give rise to a healthy baby. Although scientists have identified specific defects in oocytes of reproductively aged women, we do not understand when or how these defects arise. If we knew why oocyte quality decreases as women age, we might be able to prevent this process and preserve her fertility. Our preliminary experiments suggest that the problem originates not in the oocyte itself, but in its interaction with cells of the follicle that provide essential nourishment to the oocyte as it grows. Our objective is to discover why interaction becomes disrupted. This will allow us to develop methods to maintain this essential interaction, so that the follicle cells can properly nourish the oocyte. We hope that our results will help not only women who delay childbearing but also those who suffer impaired fertility as a reult of disease or environmental agents.