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March 3, 2026<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Fecal transplants from old mice boost fertility in younger ones<\/p>\n These results are preliminary, but they could eventually improve ovarian health and fertility in women, researchers say<\/p>\n By Claire Cameron edited by Clara Moskowitz<\/span><\/p>\n Alissa Eckert\/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images<\/p>\n Fecal transplants from old female mice appear to boost fertility and ovarian health in younger ones. The findings, detailed in a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Aging, indicate a direct link between gut health and reproductive health in the animals. They could also hold implications for future research into how the microbiome influences ovarian function and fertility in humans.<\/p>\n The results came as a surprise, says B\u00e9r\u00e9nice Benayoun, a biologist at the University of South California Leonard Davis School of Gerentology and the leader of the research. \u201cWe went into the study expecting the old fecal microbiome would prematurely age the young ovaries,\u201d she says. \u201cSo we were very intrigued to see the opposite being true, suggesting that some very interesting biology was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Scientists already know that the microbiome\u2014a collection of bacteria, organisms and viruses that live both on and inside the body\u2014plays a role in myriad aspects of health, including reproduction and fertility.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n Fecal transplants promise to replace \u201cbad\u201d bacteria in a diseased gut with \u201chealthy\u201d bacteria via a donor\u2019s feces. In humans, the benefits of the procedure are still under investigation, but it is used in some cases to treat certain conditions, such as bacterial infections. It may also be useful for treating gastrointestinal and other metabolic issues, and even neurobiological conditions\u2014but the science is preliminary.<\/p>\n The older female mice in the study were all in a stage of life called the \u201cestropause,\u201d which is similar to menopause in humans, and had all stopped ovulating. When the younger mice received fecal transplants from these older animals, genetic markers in their ovarian cells appeared rejuvenated and they were more successful at reproducing.<\/p>\n The effect may be a result of compensation, Benayoun says. In mice there is a communication pathway between a group of gut microbes called the estrobolome and the ovaries. But as mice age, this highway appears to break down, she explains. The younger mice that receive the older fecal transplants may boost the signals between this subset of gut microbes and the ovaries to compensate for the degrading pathway, bolstering their reproductive health.<\/p>\n The study suggests that ovarian function is \u201cplastic,\u201d Benayoun says. Importantly, the findings in mice cannot be applied directly to humans. Researchers would need to investigate whether the human gut microbiome has specific organisms that communicate with the ovaries, as the mice do, she says. Still, the discovery suggests the microbiome may be an entry point to tweak ovarian function, she adds.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could imagine that once such bacteria are identified,\u201d she says, \u201cit would be easy enough to design ovarian-supporting probiotics.\u201d<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. 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I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" March 3, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Fecal transplants from old mice boost fertility in younger ones These results are preliminary, but they could eventually improve ovarian health and fertility in women, researchers say By Claire Cameron edited by Clara Moskowitz Alissa Eckert\/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images Fecal transplants from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[650,23508,11248,23357,20045,3553],"class_list":{"0":"post-45745","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-boost","9":"tag-fecal","10":"tag-fertility","11":"tag-mice","12":"tag-transplants","13":"tag-younger"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
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