Frozen in Time

Preserve and Prolong Fertility

By Kelly Burgess

It was the biggest pregnancy news of the decade. A few months ago when Belgian researchers reported that a woman had given birth following the successful transplanting of her own ovarian tissue – seven years after it had been removed and frozen prior to her cancer treatment – it made headlines everywhere. The news was exciting because of the hope that it offered. Any female, even the very young, facing sterility due to cancer treatments could feasibly save her ovaries until she was well enough to conceive. It also would allow women who wanted to delay childbearing the option of remaining fertile beyond the boundaries of their biological clocks.

But was the news true? While there were a lot of doubts among experts here, the reports, true or not, cast a renewed focus on a promising branch of fertility research.

Seven years ago, an anonymous Belgian woman was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Before she began treatment, doctors removed five small pieces of tissue from her left ovary. The pieces were divided and frozen in liquid nitrogen. After six months of cancer treatment, tests indicated that the woman's ovaries had stopped functioning. Last year, the woman, now 31, decided she wanted a child. Surgeons transplanted her frozen ovarian tissue into a small furrow near her right ovary. Five months later, tests indicated those tissues were producing hormones and the woman started having menstrual cycles. After another five months, she became pregnant. In September, she gave birth to an 8-pound daughter.

Dr. Kevin J. Lederer, of the Fertility Centers of Illinois says he's familiar with research into ovarian tissue transplantation. The skepticism in this particular case, he notes, comes from the fact that there is still a question as to whether the woman spontaneously ovulated prior to this pregnancy – even though her ovaries were supposedly non-functioning. "This research has been ongoing for quite a while, and this is the only report of a pregnancy even possibly having occurred, but it's not really clear how it came about," says Dr. Lederer. "There are reports that her cycles came back spontaneously after she was treated with chemo, but before the transplant. So that leaves us with the question of was this the transplant or was it her own ovaries?"

Want to see more?

• Fertile Hope: Cancer Patients and Fertility
• From Tragedy to Triumph: Fighting for Fertility During Serious Health Issues
• Sharing the Struggle: Should You or Shouldn't You?
• Talk about it!