Scientific advancement is at its peak right now, with in-depth research taking place on every aspect of human body. New drugs, new treatments, new approaches to deal with some of the most enduring problems faced by human race are being explored day in and day out. One such scientific breakthrough, which may hold promise, is the discovery of a protein that may delay the onset of menopause in women and thereby prevent loss of eggs in women with age. 
It is a well-established fact that the number of eggs a woman has decreases as she ages and by the time she is around 46 years of age she may have lost all her eggs. This poses a problem for many women who intend to bear children after the age of 40. According to the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority, in the past 15 years there has been a ten-fold rise in the number of women aged 40-45 years, who go through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment. However, the success rate of pregnancy with IVF for such women remains quite low or rather does not even show a significant increase over the last decade. In addition, the rates of miscarriage increase with age.
With this new discovery, these women may be able to chase their maternity dreams with triumph. Professor Robert Winston, a fertility expert and professor of fertility studies at Imperial College while addressing a conference said,
“We think we have identified a protein which might be used to prolong the life of those eggs. Women are much more healthy than they were and the period before the menopause could be extended without risk.”
At present, the research is still in its nascent stages and the researchers have revealed nothing much about the protein. However, stringent, multi-disciplinary research on the mode of action, effects, drawbacks of the protein is mandatory to establish if the protein will be safe enough to be marketed as drug. In addition, the problem of age-related chromosomal abnormalities in eggs needs to be addressed. Dr David Tells, information director of Human Fertility and Embryology Authority adds,
“The message we need to get across is that it is kind of impossible to beat nature. The influence that clinicians have to affect success rates declines as age increases.”
Image: Jupiterimages
Via: Dailymail
