Ovary-tissue transplant allows woman to restore normal fertility

June 10, 2015

A woman in Belgium has given birth to a healthy baby girl after receiving a transplant of her own ovarian tissue, in a procedure that could provide a means for women to achieve pregnancy after cancer treatment.

The Belgian woman, who suffered from sickle-cell anemia, had tissue from her own ovaries removed and frozen prior to undergoing chemotherapy. Ordinarily the treatment would have left her infertile. But after the completion of the chemotherapy, the preserved cells were transplanted back into her ovaries, and she was able to conceive. Doctors expect that her ovary function will now be normal and she will be able to have more children in the future.

The medical procedure that allowed for the pregnancy did not involve any interference with the normal process of human reproduction; the transplant restored healthy function of an existing organ.

 

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Further information:

• World's first birth from frozen ovary (Telegraph)
• Woman Gives Birth After a Transplant of Her Own Frozen Ovarian Tissue (Time)