Studying ovarian aging and its health impacts: modern tools and approaches

Ovarian aging is a critical yet understudied driver of systemic aging in female bodies, with profound implications for female health and longevity. Despite its significance, we still know little about ovarian aging and its systemic effects on aging trajectories. With new efforts over the past few years, interest in the field has been growing and there is momentum to address these questions. This review highlights the importance of leveraging modern tools and approaches to better understand ovarian aging and its impact on health span. Specifically, we believe it will be useful for both aging researchers looking to go into research on ovarian aging and reproductive researchers looking to adopt more modern toolkit. We focus on menopause—a key marker of ovarian aging—as a lens through which to examine the current state of the field, identify limitations in existing research, and outline goals for future progress. By emphasizing cutting-edge techniques and emerging models, we seek to illuminate new pathways for research that could lead to improved strategies for managing ovarian aging and enhancing overall female health.