Health class taught you that women were born with all the eggs they’d ever have throughout their lives, but science has cast doubt on that supposition. New research finds that women can make new eggs throughout their reproductive years, thanks to stem cells in ovaries.
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National Geographic reports scientists identified the stem cells in mice ovaries in a study published in 2004, but researchers in Boston’s Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital have finally identified the stem cells in humans. The researchers used donated ovary tissue from Japanese women who had gotten sex changes.

The findings could pay dividends in future fertility treatments, potentially opening up new avenues for doctors to help women develop more eggs.

Women Can Make New Eggs After All, Stem-Cell Study Hints [National Geographic]

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