Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Autotransplantation

This chapter focuses on an approach to protecting ovarian tissue: the surgical removal and cryopreservation of ovarian tissue (ovarian cortical fragments or the intact ovary) prior to cancer therapy, followed by later autotransplantation. The obvious advantage of this currently experimental approach is that ovarian tissue is completely protected from the deleterious effects of chemotherapeutic agents or irradiation. Challenges of this approach include those related to the surgical techniques, limiting ovarian damage from both cryopreservation and hypoxia, and adapting in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF/ET) techniques when required. Despite these challenges, this approach has been demonstrated to be feasible and shows great promise for preservation of ovarian function and fertility in women treated for malignancy.