Changing the Narrative on Women’s Reproductive Longevity (Dr. Jennifer Garrison, Buck Institute & GCRLE)

On today’s episode is Dr. Jennifer Garrison, Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and the Faculty Director of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (GCRLE), which is devoted to supporting breakthrough research on reproductive aging and women in science through funding, training, infrastructure, and collaborative intellectual networks. 

Dr. Garrison explains that while there are plenty of scientists working on aging and plenty who are working on reproductive biology, there are precious few who are working at the interface of these two fields, which is what they are trying to build at the GCRLE. She shares her fascination with ovarian biology and how it fits into the broader context of longevity research, and details the issue of equality in terms of women having to plan their life choices around reproductive longevity in ways that men do not, as well as funding for women’s health being traditionally overlooked. Dr. Garrison answers questions about menopause across the animal kingdom, the link between reproductive span and lifespan in women, and the most important question we need to answer in order to truly understand ovarian aging. 

Dr. Garrison describes the key role played by the brain in reproductive success, the need for better animal model systems to understand menopause, and how hormone replacement therapy can help mitigate the negative health consequences around menopause. You’ll also hear about the profound economic and societal impact of menopause globally, as well as Dr. Garrison’s goals for the future and dream outcomes she envisions for the Consortium as they continue their cutting-edge research on the causes of ovarian aging. To learn more about their important work, visit BuckInstitute.org/gcrle/.

Episode Highlights:

• The goal of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (CGRLE) is to extend the female reproductive span
• The Global Consortium began at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging through a generous donation from Nicole Shanahan and the Sergey Brin Family Foundation
• There are plenty of scientists working on aging and others who are working on reproductive biology, but precious few who are working at the interface of those two fields - that’s what they are trying to build
• The GCRLE has three arms: Funding; providing resources to build out the field; and building a network communications platform to foster dialogue and collaboration among researchers working on female reproductive aging
• They’ve also opened the world’s first ovarian biology core facility at the Buck Institute
• Ovaries are a very complex structure, and they age at a precocious rate - they’re considered geriatric by the time a woman is in her late 20s, early 30s
• Nicole Shanahan’s became involved with starting the CGRLE to find out what causes ovaries to decline in function so early
• Ovarian biology as it relates to reproductive longevity has been traditionally overlooked in terms of receiving funding
• Women’s health has been looked at as a subcategory of medicine
• Equality is a key piece to what they do - women need to plan their life choices around reproductive health in a way that men do not
• Menopause accelerates the aging process
• It is relatively rare in the animal kingdom - humans are one of the only species that go through menopause
• Women who experience menopause later in life also tend to live longer and have an enhanced ability to repair their DNA
• There is a clear link between reproductive span and lifespan in women
• The key question is, What is the cue that tells a woman’s ovaries to start declining in her 20s?
• The brain is a crucial player in reproductive success
• We need better animal model systems to understand menopause
• Female reproductive health trajectory and how medical intervention fits in
• Hormone replacement therapy is one of the best band aids we have to mitigate the negative health consequences of menopause
• Studies show that there is a positive benefit to doing hormone replacement therapy on cognitive function
• Economic impact of menopause and related healthcare costs
• Emerging trend of reproductive aging in biotech industry
• Dr. Garrison’s goals for the future and dream outcomes she envisions for the Consortium

Quotes:

“We started a few years ago, with a really generous gift from Nicole Shanahan and the Sergey Brin Family Foundation. We started a center at the Buck Institute to study female reproductive aging.”

“When we started the center, we realized right away that if we really wanted to have an impact, and truly move the needle, that we were going to have to do something bigger. And that's where the consortium came in.”

“What's different about the ovary, compared to every other organ in the human body, is that it ages precociously, meaning that it's actually the first organ by far to age in the human body, and it's aging at about two and a half times the rate of the rest of the tissues.”

“I think research on women's health is underfunded in general.”

“I think that as we make progress and advances in extending healthy longevity and health span, or the number of years that someone's healthy, if we don't address reproductive longevity, then I think gender inequality is going to get worse, not better.”

“From the minute I went through puberty, whether I wanted to have biological children or not, every decision that I made was overshadowed by the fact that I was going to go through this reproductive decline in midlife - this biological clock, so to speak, that was ticking in the background. Decisions about overall health, my career, family planning. This is an issue of equity. Men don't have these concerns.”

“Humans are really weird. We're very unusual as a species. There's almost no other species - there's very few species that go through menopause.”

“Women who have later menopause tend to live longer. They also have an enhanced ability to repair their DNA.”

“There's no question that the brain is a key player for reproductive success. It controls all aspects of female reproduction: Puberty, menstruation, fertility, conception, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and ultimately menopause.”

“That's the goal is to give women more choice and control over their own bodies.”

“By the time a woman actually might want to use her ovaries, she's left with approximately 2 to 3% of the number of eggs that she started with.”

“The bottom line is that hormone replacement therapy is probably the best band aid we have to mitigate the negative health consequences of menopause.”

“I think the basic science has to happen first. I can't emphasize that more strongly. Otherwise, like I said, everything we're doing is a band aid.”

“I really want people to think about a scenario where women aren't constrained by an immutable biological clock, to think about a world where women aren't subject to the detrimental health effects of menopause. And just to consider for a moment, the implications for social, economic and personal empowerment, that that freedom of choice and freedom from health risks would give to half the population.”

Links:

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Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity and Equality Website buckinstitute.org/gcrle/

Garrison Lab Website garrisonlab.com