UK & World News
- 5 July 2012, 17:09
Ovary Transplants Could Beat Menopause
Ovary transplants could delay the menopause indefinitely, allowing women to have a normal pregnancy whenever they choose, according to doctors.
Fertility experts told a conference in Istanbul that women could have ovarian tissue removed and deep frozen while in their twenties, and then have small sections re-implanted every decade to hold off the menopause.
Dr Sherman Silber and colleagues from St Louis in the US presented details of their research at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting.
"Most of our cured cancer patients who have young ovarian tissue frozen feel almost grateful they had cancer, because otherwise they would share this same fear all modern, liberated women have about their 'biological clock'," they wrote.
Statistics show women are delaying childbirth, often because they do not want to interrupt a career, are not ready to settle down with a partner or don't feel they have the financial security to start a family.
Dr Silber's team reported that one of their patients had had a baby after tissue was frozen for 12 years.
Dr Gianluca Gennarelli from Turin has also carried out ovarian transplants on cancer patients.
He told the conference that results show it is safe and effective.
He said the technique "should not be considered experimental but recognised as a routine clinical practice to be offered in appropriate cases".
Growing confidence is likely to lead to more women being offered tissue storage before undergoing cancer treatment, or if they are at risk of an early menopause in their twenties or thirties.
IVF pioneer Lord Robert Winston told Sky News: "I think this is a highly dangerous procedure.
"We know from research that we have done at the Genesis Research Trust at Imperial College that eggs are held in clusters in the ovary.
"If you remove one of the clusters you may damage a woman's fertility very seriously and make her menopausal prematurely."
Ovarian transplants would also alter the hormonal balance in older women, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, but increasing the chances of breast and womb cancer.
what do you think?
Dave Harrison
Julie Agree with everything you said. This is Frankenstein science much the same as women over 60 having kids by IVF. It has been done by doctors, not because it was right but because they could do it and it gained them publicity
Julie Crumpton
Exactly! I and husband are bringing up our youngest grandson, I've said before, our daughter was murdered, he's 13 this year, had him since he was 4..... Let me tell you, it ain't easy when you're older! We love the bones of him,....but you havnt got the energy you had when younger! Menopause is for a reasen......
Jacqui Morrison
feel grateful they had Cancer? seriously? anyway Menopause does n't start until mid to late 40's so if you have not have a child by then maybe Motherhood is not for you.
Julie Crumpton
Who said the remark about cancer?....I beg to differ, menopause can happen really early, I started before 40!
Julie Crumpton
Sorry jackie......just re read article! New glasses, too! Lol!
Julie Crumpton
6:14pm on 5/7/2012
No! Wrong! Menopause is for a reasen! Natures way of saying, time to close the nursery! Never understand women who have a problem with going through the "change" not on about physical symptoms, yeah, they can be tricky, I was lucky, but a lot of women view it as the beginning of the end,....no its not, it's a natural progression, okay.......young women who have gone through early menopause, I can understand the reasens for wanting an op like this, but not older women, who decided to put a career first......you made your choices.....you can't have the penny AND the bun!