Rethinking Egg Ageing: Why This Research Matters

By Thanos Papathanasiou, CEO & Medical Director, Bourn Hall Fertility Clinics

Every generation in fertility medicine lives with a hard biological truth: time matters. As women get older, eggs become more fragile, and the chances of success naturally decline. For decades, we have understood that this happens, but not truly why.

That is why the research we have recently contributed to feels different.

At Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, we are proud to have been the UK contributor to the work led by Melina Schuh and her team at The Max Planck Institute, exploring the biology of the human egg. This work does not promise quick fixes. What it offers is something more valuable: understanding, and the potential for a new reproductive reality.

For many years, egg ageing has been described almost fatalistically. Eggs get older. Errors increase. Outcomes fall. End of story. But biology is rarely that simple.

This research shows that egg ageing is not just about the passage of time. It is about subtle, gradual changes that happen inside the egg itself. Changes that weaken its internal structure and make mistakes more likely when chromosomes divide. Crucially, these changes can now be seen, measured, and understood in human eggs, not just in animal models.

Even more striking is what Melina’s team observed next. In carefully controlled laboratory conditions, they were able to restore part of the egg’s natural protective machinery and, by doing so, reduce one of the key errors associated with ageing. This does not mean eggs can be “made young again”. But it does show that egg ageing may not be as biologically fixed as we once thought. That matters.

If future research confirms these findings and shows they can be applied safely, the long-term implications could be profound. One day, it may be possible to soften the biological penalty that women face as they get older, narrowing the gap between younger and older eggs. Given how successful IVF already is for younger women today, even modest progress in this direction would make a meaningful difference to many families.

It is important to be clear and responsible. This research is still evolving. It does not change clinical practice today. But every major advance in medicine begins exactly this way: with careful observation, thoughtful science, and a willingness to challenge assumptions.

This work also reflects something fundamental about who we are at Bourn Hall. All the eggs used in this research were donated voluntarily by patients who chose to support science. For many years, we have supported ethical donation of eggs, embryos and sperm for research, because progress in fertility care depends on trust, generosity and long-term thinking.

We have also believed, consistently, that fertility clinics should not only use science, but help create it. Over the years, Bourn Hall has contributed to meaningful research and international collaborations, helping move the field forward step by step.

Hope in fertility medicine must always be grounded in honesty. This research does not offer immediate answers. What it offers is something just as powerful: a clearer understanding of egg ageing, and a credible reason to believe that the future may look different from the past.
And that, for many patients, is where hope truly begins.