Female fertility preservation strategies: cryopreservation and ovarian tissuein vitroculture, current state of the art and future perspectives

Abstract

In the present review, the main strategies of female fertility preservation are covered. Procedures of fertility preservation are necessary for women who suffer from diseases whose treatment requires the use of aggressive therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These kinds of therapy negatively influence the health of gametes and their progenitors. The most commonly used method of female fertility preservation is ovarian tissue cryopreservation, followed by the retransplantation of thawed tissue. Another approach to female fertility preservation that has been actively developed lately is the ovarian tissue in vitro culture. The principal methods, advantages and drawbacks of these two strategies are discussed in this article.

Selection of stable expressed reference genes in native and vitrified/thawed human ovarian tissue for analysis by qRT-PCR and Western blot

“…The recent increase in cancer survival rates urge scientists to find new approaches to fertility preservation. Moreover, the latest data show that ovarian tissue cryopreservation could make childbirth after cancer treatment possible [2]. Despite the fact that researches have been developing this technique for several decades, only a few dozens of children were born after application of this treatment approach [2].…”

The mitochondrial DNA copy number, cytochrome c oxidase activity and reactive oxygen species level in metaphase II oocytes obtained from in vitro culture of cryopreserved ovarian tissue in comparison with in vivo‐obtained oocyte

“…IVM could be a method for monitoring the effect of the vitrification procedure on follicular development and oocyte maturation. In spite of great improvements in the ovarian tissue vitrification method, there are challenges to the effect of this method on the development of follicles …”

Bioengineering anin situovary (ISO) for fertility preservation

“…To overcome these barriers to the clinic, we have proposed a minimally invasive technique to facilitate the delivery and support of ovarian follicles within an in situ ovary (ISO), which promotes a natural solution for restoring fertility. surgical transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian cortical strips 6,8,[11][12][13][14][44][45][46][47] . To date, there have been numerous successful procedures performed in humans, resulting in greater than 130 live-births; however, the efficiency of this method remains low, with live-birth rates ranging from 23-36% of patients achieving live-births 48,49 .…”

“…Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is an experimental option used to preserve the fertility of patients who cannot afford to delay gonadotoxic treatment. Upon remission, the ovarian cortex, which is rich in primordial follicles, can be transplanted back into patient survivors and ovulate eggs to establish natural pregnancies or be stimulated to produce eggs for in vitro fertilization (IVF) [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] . However, ovarian tissue transplantation is an invasive surgical procedure and may not be appropriate in cases where there are concerns that ovarian tissues may harbor malignant cells (e.g., leukemia).…”