Chronic gestational hypoxia accelerates ovarian aging and lowers ovarian reserve in next‐generation adult rats

What is it about?

One of the most common pregnancy complications worldwide is that the developing baby gets exposed to less oxygen than normal. This can happen for many reasons, for example pregnancy at high altitude or where there are problems with the developing placenta. Lack of oxygen during development can lead to both short and long-term health problems. We used a rat model to examine the impact of low oxygen during pregnancy on the reproductive system of the next generation. We found that young female rats in adulthood had lower fertility reserves if they were exposed to low-oxygen conditions during their development in the womb. Their reserves of eggs declined earlier, and we detected our signs of early ageing in the ovaries. We sought to determine how this occurs, and identified a specific problem with DNA repair in the ovaries after early-life exposure to low oxygen levels. The lack of DNA repair leads to accelerated reproductive ageing and potentially reduced fertility. We conclude that female reproductive ageing is highly sensitive to low oxygen levels in the womb, with implications for future fertility in next-generation offspring of high-risk pregnancies.

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