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Uneggspected
26 July 2012

Uneggspected

Most women would be extremely surprised to conceive over the age of 50, although reportedly it happens, even without IVF. Are there facets of our reproductive biology that we don’t yet understand? For the last half century, it has been widely accepted that women are born with all the eggs (human oocyte pictured) they will ever possess. The store gradually depletes as they get older, and no more are produced. Several recent studies, however, yielded evidence to counter this long-held belief causing understandable excitement. Scientists first discovered that ovaries from adult mice could produce fresh oocytes, and later cells with similar qualities were extracted from the ovaries of middle-aged women. Keen to clarify the situation, a recent study exploring the alleged egg-producing stem cells in mice has not sustained these hopeful claims, and the publication has poured fuel on the fire of an already controversial field of research.

Written by Brona McVittie

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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