How pituitary and reproductive hormones change with aging
Official title: The Aging Pituitary/Gonadal Axis
Funded at Wichita State University · NIH-11123135 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at different forms of the fertility hormone FSH and how those forms change with age in women to better understand declining fertility.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wichita State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Wichita, United States) |
| Project start | April 15, 2009 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,091,204 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AG029531-13 |
| Project ID | NIH-11123135 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for any future human-facing parts of this program would be women concerned about age-related fertility decline or those considering IVF who might donate samples for research.
✕Less likely to help
People without reproductive concerns (for example, men or women not seeking fertility care) are unlikely to see direct benefit from these basic and preclinical studies.
What this research studies
Researchers study naturally occurring versions of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) that differ in their sugar attachments and seem more active in younger women. They use mouse genetic models, injections of purified hormone forms, and transgenic lines that label gonadotrope cells, together with single-cell RNA sequencing to examine the enzymes that build FSH sugars. Structural biology and signaling/trafficking experiments complement the animal work to see how each FSH form works. The team also examines non-ovarian effects of FSH to address safety questions relevant to IVF and reproductive care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to more precise fertility treatments or safer approaches to using FSH in assisted reproduction.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory work has identified these hypo-glycosylated FSH variants and shown they are more active, but translating that knowledge into patient therapies is still at an early stage.
Where this research is happening
-
Wichita State University
Wichita, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bousfield, George R — Wichita State University
- Study coordinator: Bousfield, George R
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.