Introduction: Leaving the planet and living in other planets and galaxies is a matter of saving the human race. This study is about factors limiting fertility and extraterrestrial reproduction, which examines the challenges and issues we will face after 6 million years. Human exposure is unique in this field. Microgravity is important factor that will affect our fertility after leaving the planet, so these investigations will be vital to ensure the survival of astronauts and humans and their long-term presence on other planets. The findings of these studies specifically address fertility issues from the perspective of an embryologist on a space mission.
Methods: The present research was a review study, the related articles of which were extracted from Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, Magiran databases without time limit. The inclusion criteria included studies that were in line with the research objective.
Results: Among the issues that human embryos will face after exposure to microgravity are epigenetic changes and chromatin structure that are likely to affect early embryo development. Understanding these changes is critical to the success of future space missions. It is necessary to maintain cell shape and facilitate division, and evidence shows that these structures change when exposed to microgravity. Also, changes in cytoskeletal organization can lead to developmental abnormalities, such as neural tube defects and morphological abnormalities. The studies are also indicative of another destructive factor that threatens the human fetus: oxidative stress and apoptosis. Exposure to microgravity can increase oxidative stress, which negatively affects fetal development. High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can naturally lead to increased apoptosis and complicated growth processes.
Conclusion: Understanding the effects of microgravity on embryonic development is very important to clarify safety, future space explorations, and the possibility of human reproduction in space. Some aspects of early development appear to be resilient to microgravity, so the inevitable exposure to these conditions requires us to continue researching the mechanisms behind these effects and develop strategies to support healthy embryonic development in space environments.
Keywords: Aerospace medicine, embryology , Space exploration