Abstract
There is a large need for fertility preservation options for cancer survivors, yet at this time, ovarian tissue cryopreservation for fertility preservation remains experimental. Ovarian cortex banking may be offered to patients undergoing gonadotoxic therapy under an approved experimental protocol when ovarian stimulation and in vitro fertilization are not options. Cryopreservation and reimplantation of whole ovaries are areas where more research needs to be performed before it can be offered, even experimentally, to patients desiring fertility preservation. Future work will focus on clarifying patient selection for ovarian tissue cryopreservation. In addition, technical methods of cryopreservation of ovarian tissue should be optimized to enhance follicular survival. Lastly, surgical techniques for revascularization of thawed whole ovaries need to be perfected. The current outlook is hopeful that in the near future, ovarian tissue cryopreservation will be a viable treatment option for fertility preservation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Chatterjee R, Goldstone AH. Gonadal damage and effects on fertility in adult patients with haematological malignancy undergoing stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant. 1996;17(1):5–11.
Barlow DH. Premature ovarian failure. Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 1996;10(3):361–84.
Sonmezer M, Oktay K. Fertility preservation in female patients. Hum Reprod Update. 2004;10(3):251–66.
Sklar C. Reproductive physiology and treatment-related loss of sex hormone production. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1999;33(1):2–8.
Bakker B, Oostdijk W, Bresters D, Walenkamp MJ, Vossen JM, Wit JM. Disturbances of growth and endocrine function after busulphan-based conditioning for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation during infancy and childhood. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2004;33(10):1049–56.
Grifo JA, Noyes N. Delivery rate using cryopreserved oocytes is comparable to conventional in vitro fertilization using fresh oocytes: potential fertility preservation for female cancer patients. Fertil Steril. 2010;93(2):391–6.
Stillman RJ, Schinfeld JS, Schiff I, et al. Ovarian failure in long-term survivors of childhood malignancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1981;139(1):62–6.
Byrne J. Infertility and premature menopause in childhood cancer survivors. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1999;33(1):24–8.
Afify Z, Shaw PJ, Clavano-Harding A, Cowell CT. Growth and endocrine function in children with acute myeloid leukaemia after bone marrow transplantation using busulfan/cyclophosphamide. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2000;25(10):1087–92.
Wallace WH, Shalet SM, Crowne EC, Morris-Jones PH, Gattamaneni HR. Ovarian failure following abdominal irradiation in childhood: natural history and prognosis. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 1989;1(2):75–9.
Gosden RG, Baird DT, Wade JC, Webb R. Restoration of fertility to oophorectomized sheep by ovarian autografts stored at -196 degrees C. Hum Reprod. 1994;9(4):597–603.
Nugent D, Meirow D, Brook PF, Aubard Y, Gosden RG. Transplantation in reproductive medicine: previous experience, present knowledge and future prospects. Hum Reprod Update. 1997;3(3):267–80.
Oktay K, Buyuk E, Rosenwaks Z, Rucinski J. A technique for transplantation of ovarian cortical strips to the forearm. Fertil Steril. 2003;80(1):193–8.
von Wolff M, Donnez J, Hovatta O, et al. Cryopreservation and autotransplantation of human ovarian tissue prior to cytotoxic therapy–a technique in its infancy but already successful in fertility preservation. Eur J Cancer. 2009;45(9):1547–53.
Mayerhofer K, Ott J, Nouri K, et al. Laparoscopic ovarian tissue harvesting for cryopreservation: an effective and safe procedure for fertility preservation. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2010;152(1):68–72.
Silber SJ, DeRosa M, Pineda J, et al. A series of monozygotic twins discordant for ovarian failure: ovary transplantation (cortical versus microvascular) and cryopreservation. Hum Reprod. 2008;23(7): 1531–7.
Baird DT, Webb R, Campbell BK, Harkness LM, Gosden RG. Long-term ovarian function in sheep after ovariectomy and transplantation of autografts stored at -196°C. Endocrinology. 1999;140(1):462–71.
Liu J, Van der Elst J, Van den Broecke R, Dhont M. Early massive follicle loss and apoptosis in heterotopically grafted newborn mouse ovaries. Hum Reprod. 2002;17(3):605–11.
Nisolle M, Casanas-Roux F, Qu J, Motta P, Donnez J. Histologic and ultrastructural evaluation of fresh and frozen-thawed human ovarian xenografts in nude mice. Fertil Steril. 2000;74(1):122–9.
Keros V, Xella S, Hultenby K, et al. Vitrification versus controlled-rate freezing in cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue. Hum Reprod. 2009;24(7):1670–83.
Salle B, Demirci B, Franck M, Rudigoz RC, Guerin JF, Lornage J. Normal pregnancies and live births after autograft of frozen-thawed hemi-ovaries into ewes. Fertil Steril. 2002;77(2):403–8.
Oktay K, Economos K, Kan M, Rucinski J, Veeck L, Rosenwaks Z. Endocrine function and oocyte retrieval after autologous transplantation of ovarian cortical strips to the forearm. JAMA. 2001;286(12):1490–3.
Oktay K, Buyuk E, Veeck L, et al. Embryo development after heterotopic transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue. Lancet. 2004;363(9412):837–40.
Donnez J, Dolmans MM, Demylle D, et al. Livebirth after orthotopic transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue. Lancet. 2004;364(9443):1405–10.
Meirow D, Levron J, Eldar-Geva T, et al. Pregnancy after transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue in a patient with ovarian failure after chemotherapy. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(3):318–21.
Demeestere I, Simon P, Emiliani S, Delbaere A, Englert Y. Fertility preservation: successful transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue in a young patient previously treated for Hodgkin’s disease. Oncologist. 2007;12(12):1437–42.
Andersen CY, Rosendahl M, Byskov AG, et al. Two successful pregnancies following autotransplantation of frozen/thawed ovarian tissue. Hum Reprod. 2008;23:2266–72.
Sanchez-Serrano M, Crespo J, Mirabet V, et al. Twins born after transplantation of ovarian cortical tissue and oocyte vitrification. Fertil Steril. 2010;93:268.e11–3.
Roux C, Amiot C, Agnani G, Aubard Y, Rohrlich PS, Piver P. Live birth after ovarian tissue autograft in a patient with sickle cell disease treated by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Fertil Steril. 2010;93(7):2413.e15–19.
Silber S, Kagawa N, Kuwayama M, Gosden R. Duration of fertility after fresh and frozen ovary transplantation. Fertil Steril. 2010;94:2191–6.
Demeestere I, Simon P, Buxant F, et al. Ovarian function and spontaneous pregnancy after combined heterotopic and orthotopic cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplantation in a patient previously treated with bone marrow transplantation: case report. Hum Reprod. 2006;21(8):2010–4.
Ernst E, Bergholdt S, Jorgensen JS, Andersen CY. The first woman to give birth to two children following transplantation of frozen/thawed ovarian tissue. Hum Reprod. 2010;25(5):1280–1.
Rosendahl M, Loft A, Byskov AG, et al. Biochemical pregnancy after fertilization of an oocyte aspirated from a heterotopic autotransplant of cryopreserved ovarian tissue: case report. Hum Reprod. 2006;21(8):2006–9.
Lee DM, Yeoman RR, Battaglia DE, et al. Live birth after ovarian tissue transplant. Nature. 2004;428(6979):137–8.
Courbiere B, Prebet T, Mozziconacci MJ, Metzler-Guillemain C, Saias-Magnan J, Gamerre M. Tumor cell contamination in ovarian tissue cryopreserved before gonadotoxic treatment: should we systematically exclude ovarian autograft in a cancer survivor? Bone Marrow Transplant. 2010;45(7):1247–8.
Rosendahl M, Andersen MT, Ralfkiaer E, Kjeldsen L, Andersen MK, Andersen CY. Evidence of residual disease in cryopreserved ovarian cortex from female patients with leukemia. Fertil Steril. 2010;94:2186–90.
Dolmans MM, Marinescu C, Saussoy P, Van Langendonckt A, Amorim C, Donnez J. Reimplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is potentially unsafe. Blood. 2010;116:2908–14.
Meirow D, Hardan I, Dor J, et al. Searching for evidence of disease and malignant cell contamination in ovarian tissue stored from hematologic cancer patients. Hum Reprod. 2008;23(5):1007–13.
Sonmezer M, Oktay K. Orthotopic and heterotopic ovarian tissue transplantation. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2010;24(1):113–26.
Meirow D, Ben Yehuda D, Prus D, et al. Ovarian tissue banking in patients with Hodgkin’s disease: is it safe? Fertil Steril. 1998; 69(6):996–8.
Seshadri T, Gook D, Lade S, et al. Lack of evidence of disease contamination in ovarian tissue harvested for cryopreservation from patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and analysis of factors predictive of oocyte yield. Br J Cancer. 2006;94(7):1007–10.
Wallace WH, Anderson RA, Irvine DS. Fertility preservation for young patients with cancer: who is at risk and what can be offered? Lancet Oncol. 2005;6(4):209–18.
Blumenfeld Z. Gynaecologic concerns for young women exposed to gonadotoxic chemotherapy. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2003; 15(5):359–70.
Jeremias E, Bedaiwy MA, Gurunluoglu R, Biscotti CV, Siemionow M, Falcone T. Heterotopic autotransplantation of the ovary with microvascular anastomosis: a novel surgical technique. Fertil Steril. 2002;77(6):1278–82.
Wang X, Chen H, Yin H, Kim SS, Lin Tan S, Gosden RG. Fertility after intact ovary transplantation. Nature. 2002;415(6870):385.
Bedaiwy MA, Jeremias E, Gurunluoglu R, et al. Restoration of ovarian function after autotransplantation of intact frozen-thawed sheep ovaries with microvascular anastomosis. Fertil Steril. 2003;79(3):594–602.
Revel A, Elami A, Bor A, Yavin S, Natan Y, Arav A. Whole sheep ovary cryopreservation and transplantation. Fertil Steril. 2004; 82(6):1714–5.
Arav A, Revel A, Nathan Y, et al. Oocyte recovery, embryo development and ovarian function after cryopreservation and transplantation of whole sheep ovary. Hum Reprod. 2005;20(12):3554–9.
Bedaiwy MA, Hussein MR, Biscotti C, Falcone T. Cryopreservation of intact human ovary with its vascular pedicle. Hum Reprod. 2006;21(12):3258–69.
Imhof M, Bergmeister H, Lipovac M, Rudas M, Hofstetter G, Huber J. Orthotopic microvascular reanastomosis of whole cryopreserved ovine ovaries resulting in pregnancy and live birth. Fertil Steril. 2006;85 Suppl 1:1208–15.
Courbiere B, Massardier J, Salle B, Mazoyer C, Guerin JF, Lornage J. Follicular viability and histological assessment after cryopreservation of whole sheep ovaries with vascular pedicle by vitrification. Fertil Steril. 2005;84 Suppl 2:1065–71.
Imhof M, Hofstetter G, Bergmeister H, et al. Cryopreservation of a whole ovary as a strategy for restoring ovarian function. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2004;21(12):459–65.
Fahy GM, Wowk B, Wu J, et al. Cryopreservation of organs by vitrification: perspectives and recent advances. Cryobiology. 2004;48(2):157–78.
Arav A, Gavish Z, Elami A, Natan Y, Revel A, Silber S, Patrizio P. Ovarian function 6 years after cryopreservation and transplantation of whole sheep ovaries. Reprod Biomed Online. 2010;20: 48–52.
Martinez-Madrid B, Dolmans MM, Van Langendonckt A, Defrere S, Donnez J. Freeze-thawing intact human ovary with its vascular pedicle with a passive cooling device. Fertil Steril. 2004; 82(5):1390–4.
Patrizio P, Gavish Z, Martel M, Azodi M, Silber S, Arav A. Whole ovary cryopreservation using a novel multi-gradient freezing device. Presented at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Washington; 2007.
Patrizio P, Arav A, Bromer JG, Martel M, Azodi M, Siber S. Cryopreservation of whole human ovaries together with fallopian tubes. Presented at the 64th annual meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, San Francisco; 2008.
Bromer J, Patrizio P. Fertility preservation: the rationale for cryopreservation of the whole ovary. Semin Reprod Med. 2009;27(6): 465–71.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kulp, J.L., Martin, J.R., Patrizio, P. (2012). Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation. In: Nagy, Z., Varghese, A., Agarwal, A. (eds) Practical Manual of In Vitro Fertilization. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1780-5_61
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1780-5_61
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1779-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1780-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)