As society and medical care continue to improve, people are living longer lives. However, the average age at which women reach menopause hasn’t changed much. Meanwhile, as women’s education levels rise, they are choosing to have children later in life. Preventing early menopause, or thinking more widely, delaying the onset of menopause is of great significance for preserving fertility.
Menopause happens because the ovaries stop working well, which means the number and quality of eggs in the ovaries decrease. Right now, it’s not completely clear what affects ovarian reserves. Other than surgeries and treatments like chemotherapy, and genetic factors leading to early ovarian failure, studies have found that poor diet, unhealthy lifestyles, and mental health problems might be linked to declining ovarian reserves. But because there aren’t enough large-scale studies and consistent standards for measuring ovarian reserves, these findings are still debated.
This project will use the extensive data from the UK Biobank, including questionnaire results, metabolic data, and clinical information, to conduct a comprehensive retrospective analysis. The goal is to understand how social factors like diet, exercise habits, irregular sleeping patterns, and anxiety or depression affect ovarian aging (including menopause age, abnormal reproductive markers, and diminished ovarian reserve diagnosis). The study will also adjust for factors that might affect the results. The aim is to intervene early to delay menopause, improve the overall quality of life for women, make the public more aware of the importance of maintaining healthy diets, lifestyles, and mental health, and help shape public health policies for preserving fertility. The project is expected to last 3 years.
