Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Vitrification of Ovarian Cortex Tissue to Achieve a Glassy State of Aggregation
Published on: August 9, 2024
[Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue]
Ritsa Storeng1, Thomas Abyholm, Tom Tanbo
1Kvinneklinikken og Kvinnehelsesenteret, Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet, 0027 Oslo. ritsa.storeng@rikshospitalet.no
Background:
Unfertilized oocytes, embryos and ovarian issue can be cryopreserved before cancer treatment of post-pubertal women. Fertility may be restored by retransplantation in women who are pronounced healthy.
Material And Methods:
The article is based on relevant literature and our own clinical experience since 2004, when the procedure was first allowed in Norway.
Results And Interpretation:
Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is an established procedure in Norway. As of January 2007, ovarian tissue from 22 women, aged 14-35 years, has been cryopreserved at Rikshospitalet. There is an upper age limit of 35 years because of age-related follicular loss. The treating oncologist and a gynaecologist should be responsible for informing patients about the possibility of preserving fertility by ovarian cryopreservation before chemo- and/or radiation therapy. The patient should, at the same time, be told about the limited world-wide experience with this procedure.
