Mathyk, B. orcid.org/0000-0001-9832-6284, Imudia, A.N., Quaas, A.M. orcid.org/0000-0002-9644-2115 et al. (19 more authors) (2024) Understanding how space travel affects the female reproductive system to the Moon and beyond. npj Women's Health, 2. 20. ISSN 2948-1716
Abstract
As the space industry grows exponentially and aspirations for space travel expand, we are entering a new era where we will very likely become an interplanetary species. Although reproduction is an essential human function and necessary for species survival, we have remarkably little knowledge regarding the impact of space travel on the female reproductive system. The effects of spaceflight on human reproductive potential, fertility, implantation and subsequent pregnancy resulting in a healthy live birth must be considered before planning prolonged spaceflight missions and the colonization of planets. In this review, we explore what is known and what remains to be learned about the effects of space travel on female reproductive endocrinology. We also delve deeper into reproductive endocrinology and discuss normal physiologic mechanisms at the molecular level to have a better understanding of how it may change during spaceflight. The rigors of spaceflight including radiation, gravitational stressors, and circadian rhythm changes could potentially affect ovulation, fertilization, endometrial receptivity, preimplantation embryo development, embryo implantation, placentation, and pregnancy. Thus, we will examine what is known about spaceflight effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis, ovarian folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis, early embryogenesis, endometrial receptivity, and pregnancy. We further discuss the recent advances in reproductive endocrinology and future research platforms. Establishing a better understanding of the effect of space travel on female reproductive health, as well as developing countermeasures to mitigate adverse effects, are decisive components of our species’ successful transition to an interplanetary one.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | Endocrine reproductive disorders; Reproductive biology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 03 Jul 2024 13:51 |
Last Modified: | 03 Jul 2024 13:51 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44294-024-00009-z |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s44294-024-00009-z |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:214193 |