Fertility Preservation in Patients with Severe Ovarian Dysfunction

Area of Science:

• Reproductive endocrinology and infertility
• Ovarian biology and follicle development
• Fertility preservation techniques

Background:

• Ovarian function declines with age and certain medical conditions, impacting fertility.
• Existing oocyte cryopreservation methods may yield limited oocytes, requiring multiple stimulation cycles.
• Effective fertility preservation is crucial for unmarried women facing severe ovarian dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the laboratory methods for a drug-free in vitro activation (IVA) procedure.
• To improve fertility preservation by increasing oocyte yield per stimulation cycle.
• To enable successful cryopreservation of oocytes for future pregnancies.

Main Methods:

• Surgical removal of ovarian cortical tissue via laparoscopy.
• Disruption of the Hippo signaling pathway in cortical tissue cubes to stimulate early follicle growth.
• Orthotopic grafting of tissue cubes into remaining ovaries and Fallopian tubes.

Main Results:

• The drug-free IVA procedure stimulates early-stage ovarian follicles to reach the preantral stage.
• Preantral follicles developed through IVA respond effectively to gonadotropin stimulation.
• This leads to a higher number of retrieved oocytes available for cryopreservation.

Conclusions:

• Drug-free IVA offers a promising approach to enhance fertility preservation in women with diminished ovarian function.
• The detailed laboratory methods presented are key to the success of this innovative procedure.
• IVA significantly increases the potential for successful future pregnancies through improved oocyte yield.