6. Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation Is a Feasible and Safe Procedure in a Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Population for Fertility Preservation Prior to Gonadotoxic Treatment
Section snippets
Background
Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is an experimental procedure to preserve fertility in patients at risk for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). The majority of the literature on this procedure focuses on the young adult population; little is known about the characteristics of younger patients undergoing OTC. It has been well documented that fertility has a profound impact on the quality of life of cancer survivors, and these patients desire to better understand fertility options.
Methods
An IRB-approved, retrospective chart review of patients who underwent OTC from December 2012 through October 2018 was completed. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the population and procedure outcomes.
Results
A total of 97 OTC procedures were performed. The mean age of patients was 10.5yr (SD 7.6yr) and 64.9% of patients were premenarchal. The mean AMH was 2.2ng/mL (SD 4.7ng/mL) and FSH was 4.8mIU/mL (SD 4.3mIU/mL) prior to OTC. Most patients spoke English (84.5%), followed by Arabic (14.4%). The majority resided in North America (85.6%) and the Middle East (13.4%). Procedures were performed for hematologic or oncologic indications, including BMT (58.2%), and treatment of solid tumors (30.1%),
Conclusions
This study describes the characteristics of pediatric, adolescent and young adult patients undergoing OTC at a tertiary care teaching hospital. The procedure was well-tolerated and yielded viable tissue for cryopreservation in all cases. Although these data are encouraging, a better understanding of the reproductive outcomes of those patients undergoing OTC is needed to ensure that the care provided to these patients is clinically beneficial and improves the patients quality of life.