Spotlight on why aging harms fertility

SCIENTISTS made a major step towards understanding why older women are more likely to produce abnormal eggs, increasing the risk of infertility, miscarriage and birth defects such as Down’s Syndrome.

While researchers have long known that women having babies in their late 30s and 40s posed an increased risk of disability due to eggs containing the wrong number of chromosomes, the underlying cause has not been known.

Research published yesterday in the journal Current Biology, said the key is declining levels of proteins called Cohesins, which hold chromosomes together by entrapping them in a ring. This is essential for chromosomes to split evenly when cells divide.