The longer a cell lives, the more chances it has to be damaged by accumulating waste and free radicals. There are mechanisms in place to repair damage, but those mechanisms get less reliable over time. It’s also true that older eggs are more likely to have genetic problems of the sort that can lead to Down syndrome.[*9] For the same reason, older women have more early miscarriages. So maybe ancient humanlike bodies somehow anticipated those problems, discarding all those egg follicles to avoid giving birth to disabled babies.
