We all know from biology class that baby girls are born with a certain number of eggs. Once those eggs are gone, no more potential babies for you! So if you waited until you were older to start trying to have a family, you might be out of luck. Young women are oftentimes told that there is no time like the present to start a family, even if they don't feel emotionally, physically, or financially ready. Of course some of us know if we'd had children in our 20s, we would have been screwed. Big time.
But now, new research shows that perhaps our eggs are not so limited. In fact, we may be able to generate more eggs, thus ending the panic about our dwindling egg supply, thanks to a stem cell discovery.
A study initially done on mice found a primitive stem cell in ovaries that could be used to generate new eggs that can be fertilized and create new life. And now these same stem cells have been removed from young women, and used to create eggs, and re-inserted into human ovarian tissue. The results showed eggs that created the necessary structure to be fertilized by sperm and thus produce an embryo.
While some scientists say using this method for infertility treatments seems like a stretch, others see this as changing the way women go through menopause and allowing young women to put off having families for as long as they want. The huge advances in fertility treatments, egg donation, surrogate mothers, and more have been a godsend for women who have difficulty conceiving the old-fashioned way. But using your own genetic material seems like a huge bonus if you're having trouble getting pregnant. It seems like a huge win if this study produces real fertility results.
Of course, as one sociologist points out, wouldn't it be better if we had systems in place so young people could actually balance work, school, and parenting? (And older people, I might add. We all need that balance.) She's right, of course. But what are we going to do about that whole finding the right partner thing? That's what I was waiting for, no matter how many eggs I had laying-in-waiting.
What do you think about this?
Image via marioanima/Flickr
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Comments 8
I think it is taking messing with nature just a bit too far. I'm all for IVF and fertility drugs, but not this.
What's next, just cloning yourself?
This is super cool! A lot of women struggle with having to make the choice of careers vs. family, and having this as an option would be wonderful.
I think this is exciting too. Luckily, I wasn't caught in this boat, but being in the IF Community, I know many women who have....and it STINKS! You almost feel like you "wasted" your life doing what you think you wanted to do to provide the best for your future children, but to get there and not be able to the way you expected :/. I am all for more options for the IF community :)
I agree with kwiat2
I don't know about this...there is a reason that mother nature has things set up the way they are. I feel like younger women are much more equipped to handle the physical requirements of pregnancy and having young children. That being said...many young women are not emotionally or financially stable enough to feel comfortable starting a family. I like what the sociologist said...we should work as a society to remove the stigma from having children in your early 20s and help make that a more reasonable possibility. But I can totally see how this would be a wonderful thing for someone that didn't find the right man until later in life or has struggled to have children. Just seems like it could be a double edged sword.