The main purpose of our laboratory activities is to recognize the effects of multiparity and ageing on cells and extracellular matrix during postpartum recovery at the birth canal (pubic symphysis, uterine cervix and vagina) in mice. We are particularly interested in understanding how birth and ageing have a significant effect on tissue homeostasis, which could help us to understand the pathophysiology of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence and preterm. We focus on the connective tissue – an important site of cellular, molecular and hormonal signaling – and question how this tissue responds (or not) to changes during and after first and multiple pregnancies. Using morphological, biochemical and molecular assays, we identified that recovery processes are regulated by