"In
The News"
This section of Fertility
Today Magazine takes a look at the latest fertility
news appearing in the media. We will bring clarity to
scientific truths and identify allegations that are
not medically sound or proven. We hope to refute false
perceptions or mythical beliefs. We will use this section
to enlighten our readers about news items and will bring
editorial comments that are consistent with current
standards of care.
We will also discuss the merits of the
issues as to their validity,
accuracy and confirm if the information is consistent
with
evidence-based medicine or practice, in the world of
fertility medicine.
Ovarian
Tissue Freezing
Recent work at the Jones Institute for
Reproductive Medicine, Cornell University and others
have demonstrated that it is possible to successfully
freeze and thaw ovarian tissue. When a woman must have
cancer chemotherapy or radiation, the
ovaries are often damaged or destroyed.
The ability to freeze and thaw ovarian
tissue means the the ovaries
could be removed prior to chemotherapy and replaced
after cancer
treatment. The ovaries would not be exposed to toxins
and would
theoretically resume normal functioning.
Egg
Freezing
When a woman undergoes an in vitro fertilization
cycle she often has
excess embryos that can be frozen. An embryo is formed
after the egg is
fertilized by a sperm.
Fertility specialists are seeking ways
to successfully freeze and thaw
eggs. After a stimulation cycle (FSH is given) there
are usually
numerous eggs, some of which could be frozen for future
cycles. The
major advantage is that expensive ovulation inducing
agents would not be necessary for the cycles where frozen
eggs are used. Younger women could
also freeze their eggs for use later in life.
The major challenge to the process is
that the membrane "skeleton" of
the egg cell is very delicate. As with all biologic
material, an egg is
primarily composed of water, which expands when frozen.
This expansion,
and the formation of ice crystals inside the egg, can
lead to egg
damage.
Some companies are beginning to market
egg freezing as a means to insure
fertility later in life. The American Society for Reproductive
Medicine
made the following observations at this years annual
meeting.
"The report concludes that these
techniques are rapidly evolving and
thus far, the technique also appears to be safe for
the patient and
offspring. However, at present both egg and ovarian
tissue
cryopreservation remain investigation procedures that
should only be
performed with the formal approval and oversight of
an Institutional
Review Board.
The Committee concludes, however, that
at present neither oocyte nor ovarian tissue preservation
should be offered or marketed as a means to defer reproductive
aging."
Research is ongoing and hopefully one day these treatments
will become
commonplace.
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