Metabolism, Aging and Disease

Female Infertility and Fertility Preservation

Reproductive Health, Female Reproductive Aging, Fertility Preservation, Infertility Awareness.


Research lines

· Female infertility . Female reproductive aging · Fertility preservation · Lifestyle effects and psychological health on female fertility · Therapeutic strategies to improve female fertility

Overview

We are a multidisciplinary team composed of researchers that cooperate with embryologists, clinicians, and clinical psychologists from the Reproductive Medicine Unit of Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra to provide the best and up to date options in all research fields. One of our aims is to study the aging effects on women fertility, with special focus on the female gamete and its microenvironment (i.e. follicular fluid, cumulus-oophurus and granulosa cells). Understanding the mechanisms implicated in the loss of oocyte quality will allow the investigation of emerging biomarkers and the exploration of potential therapeutic strategies. Our team has also been working on the female fertility preservation field, specially focussed in the evaluation (histological, immunohistochemistry and functional) of the ovarian tissue after cryopreservation as well as the improvement of ovarian tissue transplantation. Moreover, we intend to develop and test the efficacy of strategies to prevent, better diagnose and treat patients with Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR). This project is a multifocal approach that includes an intervention program on the knowledge about diminished ovarian reserve; a genomic screening of DOR patients and the investigation of strategies to modulate follicle activation. Our research approaches include techniques such as microscopic analysis, immunohistochemistry/immunocytochemistry and cytology, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, cellular and molecular biology and ELISA. We have established collaborations with external partners and we are also highly involved in outreach activities with a mission of increasing the awareness about fertility and reproductive health.

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