Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A (micro)environmental perspective on the evolution of female reproductive aging

  • Letter to Editor
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Walker LC, Herndon JG. Mosaic aging. Med Hypotheses. 2010;74:1048–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ben-Haim MS, Kanfi Y, Mitchell SJ, Maoz N, Vaughan KL, Amariglio N, et al. Breaking the ceiling of human maximal life span. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018;73:1465–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lubinsky M. Evolutionary justifications for human reproductive limitations. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2018;35:953–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Gaillard J-M, Lemaitre J-F. The Williams’ legacy: a critical reappraisal of his nine predictions about the evolution of senescence. Evolution. 2017;71:2768–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Templeman NM, Luo S, Kaletsky R, Shi C, Ashraf J, Keyes W, et al. Insulin signaling regulates oocyte quality maintenance with age via cathepsin B activity. Curr Biol. 2018;28:753–760.e754.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tidière M, Gaillard J-M, Berger V, Müller DWH, Bingaman Lackey L, Gimenez O, et al. Comparative analyses of longevity and senescence reveal variable survival benefits of living in zoos across mammals. Sci Rep. 2016;6:36361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ellis S, Franks DW, Nattrass S, Cant MA, Bradley DL, Giles D, et al. Postreproductive lifespans are rare in mammals. Ecol Evol. 2018;8:2482–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Hawkes K, O'Connell JF, Jones NG, Alvarez H, Charnov EL. Grandmothering, menopause, and the evolution of human life histories. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998;95:1336–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Brent LJN, Franks DW, Foster EA, Balcomb KC, Cant MA, Croft DP. Ecological knowledge, leadership, and the evolution of menopause in killer whales. Curr Biol. 2015;25:746–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cant MA, Johnstone RA. Reproductive conflict and the separation of reproductive generations in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008;105:5332–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Croft DP, Johnstone RA, Ellis S, Nattrass S, Franks DW, Brent LJN, et al. Reproductive conflict and the evolution of menopause in killer whales. Curr Biol. 2017;27:298–304.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lahdenperä M, Lummaa V, Helle S, Tremblay M, Russell AF. Fitness benefits of prolonged post-reproductive lifespan in women. Nature. 2004;428:178–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Wyshak G, Frisch RE. Evidence for a secular trend in age of menarche. N Engl J Med. 1982;306:1033–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Nichols HB, Trentham-Dietz A, Hampton JM, Titus-Ernstoff L, Egan KM, Willett WC, et al. From menarche to menopause: trends among US women born from 1912 to 1969. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164:1003–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Kallen A, Polotsky AJ, Johnson J. Untapped reserves: controlling primordial follicle growth activation. Trends Mol Med. 2018;24:319–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Han L, Ren C, Li L, Li X, Ge J, Wang H, et al. Embryonic defects induced by maternal obesity in mice derive from Stella insufficiency in oocytes. Nat Genet. 2018;50:432–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mendes CC, Mirth CK. Stage-specific plasticity in ovary size is regulated by insulin/insulin-like growth factor and ecdysone signaling in Drosophila. Genetics. 2016;202:703–19.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author thanks his colleagues Patrícia Beldade (Gulbenkian Institute, Portugal), Ana Virgolino (Institute of Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, Portugal), and Osvaldo Santos (Institute of Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, Portugal) for suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript.

Funding

Paulo Navarro-Costa is supported by the Portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, grant PTDC/MEC-AND/30221/2017).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal

    Paulo Navarro-Costa

  2. Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal

    Paulo Navarro-Costa

Authors
  1. Paulo Navarro-Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paulo Navarro-Costa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Navarro-Costa, P. A (micro)environmental perspective on the evolution of female reproductive aging. J Assist Reprod Genet 35, 2129–2131 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1355-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1355-6

Search

Navigation