Therapeutic potential of stem cells in addressing female infertility: recent progress and prospective developments

Female infertility often results from ovarian insufficiency, endometrial damage, metabolic disorders, and treatment-induced reproductive decline. The regenerative benefits of emerging stem cell-based therapies are achieved through paracrine signaling, immunomodulation, angiogenesis, and anti-fibrotic effects. Preclinical and early clinical studies have shown that mesenchymal, pluripotent, embryonic, and reproductive progenitor cells, and their extracellular vesicles, can rescue ovarian function and improve endometrial receptivity, hormonal profiles, and follicular profiles. Although these are promising results, there are still issues with standardization, safety, and ethics. Further technological development and carefully designed clinical trials are the keys to successful translation. This review also demonstrates the underlying mechanisms, recent translational advances, and emerging technologies, as well as the need for standardized protocols and clinical validation.