Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
Fertility Preservation Through Oocyte Vitrification: Clinical and Laboratory Perspectives
Published on: September 16, 2021
Ovarian response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in cancer patients is diminished even before oncological
Javier Domingo1, Vicente Guillén, Yanira Ayllón
1IVI Las Palmas, Las Palmas, Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the results of controlled ovarian stimulation before chemotherapy for oocyte vitrification to preserve fertility in women diagnosed with cancer and compare them with a historical control group.
Design:
A retrospective, multicenter, observational study performed between March 2007 and January 2011.
Setting:
University-affiliated infertility clinics.
Patient(S):
Of 272 patients affected by cancer in our Fertility Preservation Program, 223 women underwent a stimulated cycle for oocyte vitrification according to our protocols before cancer treatment. Their results were compared with a historical control group of 98 patients diagnosed with male factor infertility who were stimulated for a conventional IVF cycle.
Intervention(S):
Controlled ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Days of stimulation, total dose of gonadotropins, estrogen levels, and number of oocytes retrieved and vitrified.
Result(S):
No differences were found in days of stimulation, but significant differences in E(2) levels and the number of retrieved oocytes were measured, especially in the hormone-dependent cancer group.
Conclusion(S):
Patients with hormone-dependent cancer had a weaker response to controlled ovarian stimulation compared with patients with non-hormone-dependent cancer. Whether the oncological disease already affects the ovaries before chemo-/radiotherapy remains to be elucidated.
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