GoKawiilStudy finds postmenopausal ovaries remain biologically active, linked to cancer markers
Researchers at Northwestern University and the Buck Institute analyzed ovarian tissue from 28 women using proteomics and mass spectrometry, finding hundreds of proteins continue to change long after menopause. The tissue showed ongoing remodeling, rising inflammation, and molecular signatures overlapping with those seen in ovarian cancer. The findings were published October 14 in Aging Cell.
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The results challenge the assumption that ovaries become inert once fertility ends, suggesting they may continue influencing broader aging processes and disease risk in women, according to the study's authors. This could eventually prompt reconsideration of medical practices around removing healthy ovaries and spur further research into ovarian tissue as an indicator of systemic aging, though the study authors frame this as an open question rather than a settled conclusion.
- Ovarian tissue from 28 women showed continued protein-level changes decades after menopause.
- The molecular profile of aging ovaries overlapped with patterns associated with ovarian cancer.
- Researchers question whether removal of healthy ovaries should be reconsidered given their ongoing activity.
Source: news.northwestern.edu, 2026-10-18
Published there as: “The ovary doesn't retire after menopause”
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