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Preservation of fertility in women undergoing chemotherapy: current approach and future prospects
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Purpose:
Anticancer treatment causes ovarian failure.
Methods:
Some hormones may have a protective effect on the ovary. Cryopreservation (freezing) of oocytes has had very limited success, and therefore, currently its use before chemotherapy is not a feasible option. However, cryopreservation of embryos is possible. Another solution is oocyte donation followed by in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Results:
Ovarian cortical slices containing primordial follicles have been cryopreserved successfully. To restore fertility, cryopreserved-thawed tissue taken from cancer patients before therapy could be replanted after recovery. The possible risk of malignancy restoration could be eliminated by obtaining unilaminar follicles from cryopreserved-thawed tissue and growing them in vitro, followed by routine IVF.
Conclusions:
Although women who undergo chemotherapy face limited options for fertility preservation, intensive studies in cryopreservation and in vitro maturation of follicles harbor hope for brighter prospects in the future.