Minireviews
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World J Obstet Gynecol. Jul 18, 2025; 14(2): 108149
Published online Jul 18, 2025. doi: 10.5317/wjog.v14.i2.108149
Epigenetic clocks of female reproductive system aging: Current application and future prospects
Jie Lin, Yang-Yi Chen, Shi-Jie Wang, Yang Zhang, Hai-Sheng Huang, Xiu-Quan Zhang
Jie Lin, Yang-Yi Chen, Shi-Jie Wang, Yang Zhang, Hai-Sheng Huang, Xiu-Quan Zhang, Research Laboratory, Fire Genomics Laboratory, Fountain Valley Medical Group, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
Xiu-Quan Zhang, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Research Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics, Southern Medical University Shunde Hospital, Foshan 528308, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Lin J and Zhang XQ contributed to the manuscript writing and literature search and analysis; Chen YY, Wang JS, Zhang Y, and Huang HS contributed equally to the manuscript revision, and literature and data analysis supporting; Zhang XQ provided the final revision of the manuscript; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare there is no potential conflict of interest for disclosure.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiu Quan Zhang, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Research Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics, Southern Medical University Shunde Hospital, No. 1 Jiazi Road, Lunjiao, Shunde District, Foshan 528308, Guangdong Province, China. xiuquan.zhang@hsc.utah.edu
Received: April 7, 2025
Revised: April 29, 2025
Accepted: June 13, 2025
Published online: July 18, 2025
Processing time: 101 Days and 2.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: The aim of this minireview is to examine the application of epigenetic clocks in evaluating the functional status of the female reproductive system. Through the assessment of DNA methylation patterns, epigenetic clocks offer a means of estimating biological age and identifying age-related changes in reproductive tissues. Models derived from blood and reproductive-specific tissues demonstrate potential utility in assessing female reproductive health, particularly in quantifying and predicting the biological age of the reproductive system. Epigenetic clocks developed using endometrial tissue, follicular fluid, leukocytes, and granulosa cells exhibit varying capacities for predicting reproductive aging in females.