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Ovarian Function Restored Following Transplants in Monkeys

SAN DIEGO, Calif.- November 1, 2000· by TNN Medical Reporter Virginia Baskerville

Researchers have successfully restored ovarian function and menstrual cycles and have produced mature eggs in monkeys through the use of fresh and frozen ovarian transplantation. The findings were reported at the recent annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). "Ovarian stimulation of both the fresh and cryopreserved ovarian transplants produced mature eggs that could be used to produce offspring," said an October 23 statement posted by ASRM. In the study, lead author John A. Schnorr, MD, of Eastern Virginia Medical School and colleagues removed the ovaries of 16 cynomolgus monkeys that had 28-day menstrual cycles. The monkeys were divided into three groups: ovarian tissue was surgically transplanted into the arm of monkeys in one group; ovarian tissue was placed in the arm and a growth factor administered following the surgery in the second group; and only fat tissue was placed in the arm of monkeys in the third group. In the latter group, the ovaries were cryopreserved and later transplanted back into the monkeys' upper arm. The transplants led to ovarian function in 83% of the monkeys in the first group, 40% in the second group, and 50% in the third group, according to ASRM. "The potential of removing and transplanting a woman's own ovarian tissue could be a tremendous benefit," said ASRM president R. Jeffrey Chang, MD. "Many women who must undergo cancer treatments are rendered sterile in the process. This technique could offer young women a way to avoid permanent menopause and have children once their cancer is treated successfully." For Your Information: View ASRM's statement at www.asrm.org/Media/Press/ovarytransplant.html.

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