Chimpanzee reproductive senescence: A possible model for evolution of the menopause

Gould, Kenneth G.; Flint, Marcha; Graham, Charles E.

doi:10.1016/0378-5122(81)90007-4

Cited by 79 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Cheeta, previously reported to have regular cycles up to the age of 48 years (Lacreuse et al 2008), had no apparent health problems and thus meets the definition of menopause which requires the absence of cycles for at least 12 months, in the absence of any underlying pathology (Burger 1999). The present findings are consistent with several previous reports stating that reproductive cycles continue in the chimpanzee into the 5th and 6th decade of life (Gould et al 1981;Graham 1979;Lacreuse et al 2008) but contradict reports suggesting that menopause occurs by 40 years of age (Atsalis and Videan 2009;Videan et al 2006Videan et al , 2008.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The 48-year-old subject, for example, died of a cerebral hemorrhage during the luteal phase of her cycle, as indicated by a well-developed corpus luteum in her ovary. In a subsequent study (Gould et al 1981), ovarian and gonadotrophic hormone levels in two old (49 and 50 years) chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and one old (exact age unknown) bonobo (Pan paniscus) were studied. While the bonobo was menopausal, the two chimpanzees showed evidence of continued ovulation, albeit in an altered, perimenopause-like pattern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Menopause occurs late in life in the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Herndon

Paredes

Wilson

et al. 2011

AGE

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Menopause in women occurs at mid-life. Chimpanzees, in contrast, continue to display cycles of menstrual bleeding and genital swelling, suggestive of ovulation, until near their maximum life span of about 60 years. Because ovulation was not confirmed hormonally, however, the age at which chimpanzees experience menopause has remained uncertain. In the present study, we provide hormonal data from urine samples collected from 30 female chimpanzees, of which 9 were old (>30 years), including 2 above the age of 50 years. Eight old chimpanzees showed clear endocrine evidence of ovulation, as well as cycles of genital swelling that correlated closely with measured endocrine changes. Endocrine evidence thus confirms prior observations (cyclic anogenital swelling) that menopause is a late-life event in the chimpanzee. We also unexpectedly discovered an idiopathic anovulation in some young and middle-aged chimpanzees; this merits further study. Because our results on old chimpanzees validate the use of anogenital swelling as a surrogate index of ovulation, we were able to combine data on swelling and urinary hormones to provide the first estimates of age-specific rates of menopause in chimpanzees. We conclude that menopause occurs near 50 years of age in chimpanzees as it does in women. Our finding identifies a basic difference between the human and chimpanzee aging processes: female chimpanzees can remain reproductively viable for a greater proportion of their life span than women. Thus, while menopause marks the end of the chimpanzee's life span, women may thrive for decades more.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menopause occurs late in life in the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Herndon

Paredes

Wilson

et al. 2011

AGE

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“…112,115,138 In contrast, other studies of captive chimpanzees found hormonal profiles and interbirth interval patterns suggesting that reproduction may terminate well before death, possibly due to greater longevity than that of their wild counterparts. 97 Intervals between menstrual cycles were reported to increase with age between 19 and 39 yo, in a pattern suggestive of perimenopause. 92 Changes in reproductive hormones indicative of perimenopause (at 30-35 yo) and menopause (35-40þ yo) have also been recorded.…”

Section: Female Reproductive Senescence and Menopausementioning

confidence: 99%

“…261,262 Hormone profiles in one >40 yo bonobo suggested that menopause had occurred in that individual, and histology of her ovaries revealed depletion of primary oocytes and developing follicles, as well as increased connective tissue. 97 Data from zoo-housed gorillas in North America suggest that menopause does occur and that it is preceded by a period of irregular cycling and low fertility similar to human perimenopause. 17,160 Reproductive senescence has been less well studied in the other ape species.…”

Section: Female Reproductive Senescence and Menopausementioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Pathology of Aging Great Apes

2015

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The great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans) are our closest relatives. Despite the many similarities, there are significant differences in aging among apes, including the human ape. Common to all are dental attrition, periodontitis, tooth loss, osteopenia, and arthritis, although gout is uniquely human and spondyloarthropathy is more prevalent in apes than humans. Humans are more prone to frailty, sarcopenia, osteoporosis, longevity past reproductive senescence, loss of brain volume, and Alzheimer dementia. Cerebral vascular disease occurs in both humans and apes. Cardiovascular disease mortality increases in aging humans and apes, but coronary atherosclerosis is the most significant type in humans. In captive apes, idiopathic myocardial fibrosis and cardiomyopathy predominate, with arteriosclerosis of intramural coronary arteries. Similar cardiac lesions are occasionally seen in wild apes. Vascular changes in heart and kidneys and aortic dissections in gorillas and bonobos suggest that hypertension may be involved in pathogenesis. Chronic kidney disease is common in elderly humans and some aging apes and is linked with cardiovascular disease in orangutans. Neoplasms common to aging humans and apes include uterine leiomyomas in chimpanzees, but other tumors of elderly humans, such as breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers, are uncommon in apes. Among the apes, chimpanzees have been best studied in laboratory settings, and more comparative research is needed into the pathology of geriatric zoo-housed and wild apes. Increasing longevity of humans and apes makes understanding aging processes and diseases imperative for optimizing quality of life in all the ape species.

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“…111 This is important when assessing insulin action, because women have decreased insulin sensitivity during the luteal phase and improved sensitivity during the follicular phase of the normal menstrual cycle, 112 and similar findings have been reported in rhesus monkeys. 106 Natural menopause has also been reported in cynomolgus and rhesus macaques, chimpanzees, and baboons, 78,[113][114][115][116] and as in nondiabetic women, 117 and ovariectomized NHPs. 118,119 In general, an increase in body weight and a redistribution of body fat occurs postmenopausally, 120 which may contribute to increased IR.…”

Section: Physiological Interventions In Nonhuman Primatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonhuman Primates and other Animal Models in Diabetes Research

Harwood

Listrani

Wagner

2012

J Diabetes Sci Technol

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Abbreviations: (CB 1) cannabinoid 1, (CVD) cardiovascular disease, (GDM) gestational diabetes mellitus, (GLP-1) glucagon-like peptide-1, (HbA1c) hemoglobin A1c, (HDL) high-density lipoprotein, (IGT) impaired glucose tolerance, (IR) insulin resistance, (LDL) low-density lipoprotein, (NHP) nonhuman primate, (PPAR) peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, (STZ) streptozotocin, (T1DM) type 1 diabetes mellitus, (T2DM) type 2 diabetes mellitus, (VLDL) very-low-density lipoprotein.

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Chimpanzee reproductive senescence: A possible model for evolution of the menopause

Cited by 79 publications

References 9 publications

Menopause occurs late in life in the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Menopause occurs late in life in the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Comparative Pathology of Aging Great Apes

Nonhuman Primates and other Animal Models in Diabetes Research

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