Progress, History and Promise of Ovarian Cryopreservation and Transplantation for Pediatric Cancer Patients

Ovarian cryopreservation followed by transplantation is one of the potential ways fertility can be preserved and endocrine function restored in women who are at risk for ovarian failure, early menopause, or loss of fertility. While much of the progress in this area has occurred in the past couple of decades, the concept of transplantation of reproductive organs has been present since the nineteenth century. The first account of ovarian grafting was published in 1863 in a thesis by Paul Bert. Results were disappointing, hence the loss of interest over the next 30 years. In 1895, New York surgeon Robert Morris performed the first human ovarian implant in a woman with ovarian failure who reportedly became pregnant post-implant, though the pregnancy ended in a spontaneous abortion. Further experiments in ovarian grafting resulted in pregnancy in rabbits, dogs, and sheep from 1895 to 1899. However, because of the low success rate and limited clinical applicability of fresh ovary transplantation at that time, interest in this field waned [see review in 1].