The ovary keeps working long after menopause, and may hold clues to cancer
The ovary doesn't retire after menopause
Northwestern and Buck Institute scientists analyzed ovarian tissue from 28 postmenopausal women and found the organ stays biologically active for decades, not dormant like the appendix. Using proteomics, they tracked thousands of proteins shifting toward inflammation and tissue remodeling with age, and found patterns linked to ovarian cancer in otherwise healthy tissue. The work raises a provocative question: could the aging ovary be a driver of women's later-life health, or even a target for prevention?
The ovary is not just a reproductive organ. It really influences how somebody ages because it speaks to all these other organs, such as the brain, and also to the bone.