Progress in female fertility protection and preservation

Abstract

Abstract

Survival rate of cancer patients is increasing in recent years due to treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This treatment is also impairing the reproductive ability of women, causing premature ovarian failure leading to early infertility. Fertility preservation in women has appeared to be an important issue but with advancement in assisted reproductive technologies there is a possibility of preserving fertility in cancer and non-cancer patients. Current fertility preservation options are traditional methods like embryo and oocyte cryopreservation with new technology like ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. Oocyte cryopreservation is used for women with benign disease, women seeking fertility for personal reasons, religious and legal reason. For prepubertal girls and patients who cannot delay anticancer treatments to preserve fertility and ovarian endocrine function ovarian tissue cryopreservation is the one and only option. This paper will summarize the main methods and progress of female fertility protection and preservation.