Health · Medical Research · 15 hrs ago
Study finds ovaries remain biologically active long after menopause
Researchers found that ovaries keep changing after menopause in a study of tissue from 28 women.
Scientists at Northwestern University and the Buck Institute examined healthy ovaries removed from women aged 50 and older.
The ovaries showed different protein patterns as the women’s ages increased, including changes linked to tissue structure, fat processing and inflammation.
Menopause ends egg production, but these findings suggest the ovaries continue to have biological activity.
The changes may help explain why ovarian cancer risk rises after menopause, as aging tissue can develop an inflammatory, collagen-rich environment that cancer cells may favor.
The samples did not contain tumors, and the study does not show that these changes cause cancer.
Researchers say further work could explore whether targeting ovarian aging or developing biomarkers might help reduce or identify risk.
A study found that ovaries continue to change biologically for decades after menopause.
Researchers analyzed ovarian tissue from 28 postmenopausal women and found age-related shifts in protein activity.
Ovaries from women aged 70 and older had more proteins linked to lipid metabolism, innate immunity and inflammation.
The study also found a molecular link between ovarian aging and cancer, but the samples examined showed no signs of disease.
- Who
- Scientists at Northwestern University and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
- What
- A study found that ovaries remain biologically active and change with age after menopause.
- When
- Published on October 14, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Not stated
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- Study participants
- 28 postmenopausal women
- Age groups
- 50–59, 60–69, and 70 and older
- Researchers
- Northwestern University and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging
- Study journal
- Aging Cell
2 sources
What people are saying
The ovary is not just a reproductive organ
The fact that across species we're seeing this gives us confidence that this isn't just some random event, but something truly meaningful is happening in the biology.
It really influences how somebody ages because it speaks to all these other organs, such as the brain, and also to the bone, and women after menopause experience often a lot of bone problems.