Lack of cohesins causes infertility in older women?

Fertility declines with age this is common knowledge and not something that anyone would despite. Older women are more likely to struggle with infertility and need medical help to get pregnant than younger women. But what is the reason for this? A new study from the United Kingdom says that it might be a decline in cohesins that is behind a higher infertility rate, and bigger odds of having a miscarriage or a baby with Down Syndrome at a more advanced age. Cohesins? What are those?

Of course, I feel no shame in admitting that I have never heard of these either. They are actually crucial proteins, which apparently hold chromosomes together. "Reproductive fitness in women declines dramatically from the mid-30s onwards. Our findings point to cohesins being a major culprit in this", Dr Mary Herbert, a researcher from Newcastle University's Institute for Ageing and Health, explained. The research team studied specifically bread mice over a period of time, using mice ranging from two months to 14 months of age. A comparison resulted in a conclusion that older mice lacked cohesins, and that this was causing their increased infertility rates.

Now, you wouldn't be the only one wondering what the reproduction of mice has in common with human reproduction, but these scientists probably know what they are doing. If this study's findings are correct, it is not difficult to jump to the conclusion that medication containing these crucial cohesins could provide hopes of conceiving to many of those currently struggling with infertility. I'll be following this subject and its developments, and I will let you know what is going on! Dr Herbert remarked that conceiving as early as possible is still the best approach to increasing your chances of getting pregnant and delivering healthy babies. It might be obvious that preventing is easier than curing, but unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes.