Women made infertile by cancer treatments could soon benefit from a new technique being developed to transplant frozen tissue from ovaries, writes Alison Healy.
The news has been welcomed by the Irish National Infertility Support and Information Group. Every year thousands of women are left infertile because of cancer treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and radical surgery.
According to research published in The Lancet yesterday, US scientists removed the ovarian tissue from a 30-year-old woman before she underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer, leaving her infertile.
Six years later the tissue was placed under the skin of her abdomen. After three months, ovarian function returned and eggs were harvested.
Using IVF treatment the scientists managed to produce a four-cell embryo which was then implanted into the woman's womb. However, she failed to become pregnant. This is the first time this technique has been shown to be able to produce normal embryos in humans.
The research team from the Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at New York-Presbyterian Hospital said this was potentially significant for two reasons.
"First, women can preserve their fertility by freezing their ovarian tissue, and second pregnancy may be possible even after the tissue remains frozen for a long time," said researcher Dr Kutluk Oktay.
The Irish National Infertility Support and Information Group said the development was at an early stage but it had to be welcomed.
In an accompanying commentary to the Lancet article, Dr Johan Smitz from the Centre for Reproductive Medicine at University Hospital in Brussels warned these techniques were not without risk and called for much larger trials.
The Irish Cancer Society freephone helpline is 1800 200700. The National Infertility Support and Information Group can be contacted at www.infertilityireland.ie or 1890 647 444.
(Additional reporting: PA)