This research, conducted by former PhD student Dr. Amelia Sancilio and Dr. Richard Bribiescas of the Yale Reproductive Ecology Laboratory, investigates the association between women’s reproductive effort and their experiences of aging. Biological signatures of aging were measured via indicators of oxidative stress. This work focuses on assessing the long-term physiological consequences of individuals’ lived experiences, as well as elucidating what drives variation in how these outcomes are expressed as people age.

A recent paper by Yale and Polish collaborators titled, “Evidence for the Cost of Reproduction in Humans: High Lifetime Reproductive Effort Is Associated with Greater Oxidative Stress in Post-Menopausal Women,” and published in PLOS ONE can be found here. An additional publication describing the results of a similar study by this team among American women can be found here.