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Review
. 1998 Sep;15(8):469-77.
doi: 10.1023/a:1022578303272.

Preservation of fertility in women undergoing chemotherapy: current approach and future prospects

R Abir  1 , B Fisch, A Raz, S Nitke, Z Ben-Rafael
Affiliations
Review

Preservation of fertility in women undergoing chemotherapy: current approach and future prospects

R Abir et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 1998 Sep.

Abstract

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.

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