On 17th July Science Daily reported on a new study published in Reproductive Sciences. Ovarian tissue freezing, a procedure where ovarian tissue is removed and frozen cryogenically for later use, has been considered experimental until now. The new study, (SAGE Publications 13 July 2017), reports that nearly four out of 10 women who underwent the procedure were able to have children later in life as a result.
Despite progress over the past two decades, "the procedure still remained in the experimental realm," say the authors Drs Pacheco and Oktay. "Given these recent data, ovarian tissue cryopreservation should be considered as a viable option for fertility preservation." Dr. Kutluk Oktay, who performed the world's first procedure of this kind in 1999, together with co-author Dr. Fernanda Pacheco examined data from 1999 to 2016. They found that 309 ovarian tissue freezing procedures resulted in 84 births and 8 pregnancies that lasted beyond the first trimester. The procedure restored reproductive functions and reversed menopause in nearly two out of three women including either a resumed menstrual cycle, ovarian follicular growth, or natural fertility and the procedure restored natural fertility in great majority of the cases: while two thirds could conceive naturally only about one third needed IVF.
"The procedure is superior to egg freezing as it can also reverse menopause and restore natural fertility," continued the senior study author Dr. Oktay. "The next frontier is to explore the procedure's potential in delaying childbearing among health women, not just cancer patients." The authors note that "In all OTTs resulting in LBs, the tissues had been frozen with the slow freezing technique".
We at Planer have been extensively involved in this new area - see the web news section of our website for details of births where our Kryo 360 has helped the process.
Further information
Science Daily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170713081537.htm
Full article http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1933719117702251
