Flies, Starvation, and More! by Annabelle Jin

​Hey everyone! It’s Annabelle. 
The last few weeks of TRIP have been super informative and exciting, with new things to learn every day. Before I started this program, I would swat away fruit flies if I saw them. Now that I’ve learned about all their applications to science and medicine, I see them differently— they’ve been the catalyst for so many groundbreaking discoveries, from understanding genes to finding the molecular mechanism for circadian rhythms. And, with the help of TRIP, I can use them for my own independent project:

​How does the length of recovery from starvation and the length of starvation affect female fertility and male activity levels?

You may be wondering why this matters…
Well, with the rise of social media portraying what the “ideal” body is and more pressure to fit in and feel accepted, there has been an upsurge in eating disorders. A significant portion of them are restrictive, meaning that sufferers actively seek to reduce their calorie intake and/or eliminate entire food groups. This mental illness happens more often among adolescents. In fact, more than half of female teenagers and nearly a third of male teenagers have engaged in unhealthy weight control behaviors such as fasting and skipping meals.  
​It’s clear that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

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Many long-term effects of eating disorders, such as osteoporosis and amenorrhea, have been well documented. However, there is conflicting information about whether or not women with a history of eating disorders are at a higher risk for infertility. Some studies have found that fertility rates among women with anorexia nervosa do not differ from that of the general population, while others have found that many women seeking treatment at infertility clinics have a history of eating disorders. No study has investigated how long recovery must be in order for fertility to return to normal, despite the fact that the mean age for the onset of anorexia nervosa is 18 years old, the duration of anorexia nervosa is on average 8 years, and the average age for American women to have children is 28 years old. With only a short time for recovery, it is important to know the length of recovery needed in order for fertility to return to normal, if it ever will. 

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Collecting developmental data

In addition, no study has investigated whether the duration of the restrictive eating disorder has an effect on fertility. Some eating disorders last for years, even decades, while others last only for a few months. Therefore, it is important to know if the severity of the eating disorder has any impact on fertility. It is also critical to know if recovery from starvation can allow activity levels to return to normal, since eating disorders can result in a drastic loss in energy. 

Dr. Amanda Purdy teaching the Female Fertility assay

I have just started my experiment this week, and I performed a female fertility and negative geotaxis assay (which measures activity levels). Already my preliminary results have surprised me. I’m excited to explore them further, so stay tuned for more details!