Reproductive biology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a major public health problem affecting ~11–13% of women worldwide. In this Primer, Stener-Victorin et al. review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of PCOS and highlight the latest advances in the diagnosis and management of this syndrome.

A study on the small model fish medaka suggests the existence of an intra-pituitary pathway involved in seasonal regulation of gonadotrope proliferation and hormone synthesis in vertebrates via pituitary thyrotropes and folliculostellate cells.

Alzheimer disease has a sex bias: women are twice as likely as men to be affected. Studies have linked elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels to worsened Alzheimer disease pathology and cognitive decline in mice. Exploring the interaction of FSH with APOE4 has uncovered new aspects of Alzheimer disease. The therapeutic potential of FSH and gonadotropin-releasing hormone have also been highlighted.

In this issue of Nature Metabolism, it is shown that the abundance of Caenorhabditis elegans branched-chain aminotransferase-1 (BCAT-1) — which catalyses the first step of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism — declines sharply in aged wild-type nematodes but not in slowly ageing mutants, and that stimulating BCAA catabolism extends reproductive longevity.

The burden of male infertility is often unrecognized and its causes are poorly understood. Efforts to increase awareness and understanding are being undertaken to improve fertility outcomes and overall health for affected men.

A focus on maternal mortality reduction and time-restricted follow-ups after childbirth has led to neglect of long-term labor and birth complications experienced by women.

The pathophysiology of endometriosis is underpinned by a complex interplay of inflammatory processes that are responsible for the local and systemic effects of the condition. Recent studies delve further into this inflammatory interplay; using animal models, they identify potential therapeutic tools and remind us to look beyond the endometriotic lesions.