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Fertility Frozen in Time

Preserve and Prolong Fertility

By Kelly Burgess

It was the biggest pregnancy news of the decade. When Belgian researchers reported that a woman had given birth following the successful transplanting of her own ovarian tissue – seven years after it had been removed and frozen prior to her cancer treatment – it made headlines everywhere.

The news was exciting because of the hope that it offered. Any female, even the very young, facing sterility due to cancer treatments could feasibly save her ovaries until she was well enough to conceive. It also would allow women who wanted to delay childbearing the option of remaining fertile beyond the boundaries of their biological clocks.

But was the news true? While there were a lot of doubts among experts in the United States, the reports, true or not, cast a renewed focus on a promising branch of fertility research.

Seven years ago, an anonymous Belgian woman was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Before she began treatment, doctors removed five small pieces of tissue from her left ovary. The pieces were divided and frozen in liquid nitrogen. After six months of cancer treatment, tests indicated that the woman's ovaries had stopped functioning.

Last year, the woman, now 31, decided she wanted a child. Surgeons transplanted her frozen ovarian tissue into a small furrow near her right ovary. Five months later, tests indicated those tissues were producing hormones and the woman started having menstrual cycles. After another five months, she became pregnant. In September, she gave birth to an 8-pound daughter.

Dr. Kevin J. Lederer, of the Fertility Centers of Illinois says he's familiar with research into ovarian tissue transplantation. The skepticism in this particular case, he notes, comes from the fact that there is still a question as to whether the woman spontaneously ovulated prior to this pregnancy – even though her ovaries were supposedly non-functioning.

Want to see more?

• Dollars & Sense of Infertility Treatment: How to Pay for Medical Care When You're Trying to Conceive
• Fertile Hope: Cancer Patients and Fertility
• From Tragedy to Triumph: Fighting for Fertility During Serious Health Issues
• Sharing the Struggle: Should You or Shouldn't You?
• Join the discussion on our Family.com community!
• Information or Misinformation? Fertility Buyers Beware

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