Singapore, Oct. 22 -- Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have identified how a stiffer ovarian environment can disrupt communication between developing eggs and their supporting cells, offering insight into reproductive ageing.

The study was led by Assistant Professor Jennifer Young from NUS' Department of Biomedical Engineering and Professor Rong Li from its Department of Biological Sciences, working with the Mechanobiology Institute. The findings were published in Aging Cell.

Using mouse models, the researchers found that ovarian supporting tissue became approximately 2.5 times stiffer with age, alongside increased collagen content. The follicles containing developing eggs did not show the same age-related chang...