Survival of primordial follicles following prolonged transportation of ovarian tissue prior to cryopreservation.
BACKGROUND
Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue for fertility preservation is becoming increasingly common. Treatment of diseases that may deprive the ovaries of follicles is often performed at local hospitals that are without the necessary facilities and expertise to cryopreserve ovarian tissue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether primordial follicles of ovarian cortex survive transport for up to 4 h prior to cryopreservation.


METHODS
Immediately after recovery of one ovary from each of four patients, the cortex was roughly isolated, placed in IVF culture medium, kept on ice and transported for 3-4 h to the centre where final dissection and cryopreservation took place. Transplantation of pieces of thawed ovarian cortex under the skin of ovariectomized immunodeficient mice for a period of 4 weeks was used to assess the survival of primordial follicles.


RESULTS
After transplantation, ovarian tissue from each of the four patients contained surviving follicles.


CONCLUSIONS
Transport of roughly isolated ovarian cortex cooled on ice for a period of up to 4 h allows survival of primordial follicles following cryopreservation and transplantation to immunodeficient mice.
Schmidt
K L T
KL
Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Section 5712, The Fertility Clinic, Section 4071, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ernst
E
E
Byskov
A G
AG
Nyboe Andersen
A
A
Yding Andersen
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D015925:Cryopreservation; D003470:Culture Media; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000502:physiology*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000637:transplantation; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003470:Culture Media