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Reproductive aging is characterized by a decline in oocyte quantity and quality, which is directly associated with a decline in reproductive potential, as well as poorer reproductive success and obstetrical outcomes. As women delay childbearing, understanding the mechanisms of ovarian aging and follicular depletion have become increasingly more relevant. Age-related meiotic errors in oocytes are well established. In addition, it is also important to understand how intraovarian regulators change with aging and how certain treatments can mitigate the impact of aging. Individual studies have demonstrated that reproductive pathways involving antimullerian hormone (AMH), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neurotropins, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), and mitochondrial function are pivotal for healthy oocyte and cumulus cell development and are altered with increasing age. We provide a comprehensive review of these individual studies and explain how these factors change in oocytes, cumulus cells, and follicular fluid. We also summarize how modifiers of folliculogenesis, such as vitamin D, coenzyme Q, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may be used to potentially overcome age-related changes and enhance fertility outcomes of aged follicles, as evidenced by human and rodent studies.

Purpose of reviewTo examine the status of racial and ethnic inequalities in fertility care in the United States (U.S.) at inception of 2022. This review highlights addressable underpinnings for the prevalent differentials in access to and utilization of infertility treatments and underscores gaps in preventive care as key contributors to racial and ethnic disparities in risk burden for subfertility and infertility.Recent findingsSignificant gaps in access to and utilization of fertility care are consistently reported among racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and Hispanic women. Access to and utilization of contraceptives, human papilloma virus vaccination rates, preexposure prophylaxis use, and differentials in treatment of common gynecologic disorders are relevant to the prevalent racial and ethnic disparities in reproductive health. The spectrum of differential in reproductive wellness and the magnitude of reproductive health burden afflicting racial minorities in the U.S. raise concerns regarding systemic and structural racism as plausible contributors to the prevalent state of affairs.SummaryDespite efforts to reform unequal reproductive health practices and policies, racial and ethnic disparities in fertility care are pervasive and persistent. In addition to measures aimed at reducing barriers to care, societal efforts must prioritize health disparity research to systematically examine underpinnings, and addressing structural racism and interpersonal biases, to correct the prevalent racial inequities and mitigate disparities.

Sleep is vital to human bodily function. Growing evidence indicates that sleep deprivation, disruption, dysrhythmia, and disorders are associated with impaired reproductive function and poor clinical outcomes in women. These associations are largely mediated by molecular-genetic and hormonal pathways, which are crucial for the complex and time sensitive processes of hormone synthesis/secretion, folliculogenesis, ovulation, fertilization, implantation, and menstruation. Pathologic sleep patterns are closely linked to menstrual irregularity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian insufficiency, sub/infertility, and early pregnancy loss. Measures of success with assisted reproductive technology are also lower among women who engage in shift work, or experience sleep disruption or short sleep duration. Extremes of sleep duration, poor sleep quality, sleep disordered breathing, and shift work are also associated with several harmful conditions in pregnancy, including gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders. While accumulating evidence implicates pathologic sleep patterns in impaired reproductive function and poor reproductive outcomes, additional research is needed to determine causality and propose therapeutic interventions.