Menopause can be delayed, or even eliminated: Study

In the realm of advancing medical science, a compelling area of research is emerging, focusing on the potential to delay or prevent menopause in healthy women through ovarian tissue freezing. This research, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, represents a significant paradigm shift in menopause studies, challenging the traditional understanding of this natural life stage.

Dr. Kutluk Oktay, a renowned ovarian biologist at Yale School of Medicine, envisions a transformative future where ovarian tissue freezing could delay or even eliminate menopause. By utilizing a mathematical model based on data from ovarian cryopreservation procedures, Dr. Oktay and his team predict the potential duration of menopause delay in healthy women, factoring in variables such as age at the procedure and the quantity of harvested ovarian tissue.

Originally employed to preserve fertility in cancer patients, ovarian tissue cryopreservation involves freezing ovarian tissue at extremely low temperatures, which can later be reimplanted to restore ovarian function. This technique, once reserved for medical purposes, now extends to healthy women, offering a means to extend their fertile years and potentially postpone menopause.

Reference: Joshua Johnson, Sean D. Lawley, John W. Emerson, Kutluk H. Oktay, American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Modeling delay of age at natural menopause with planned tissue cryopreservation and autologous transplantation, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.12.037