Fertility Preservation

Abstract

As therapeutic approaches for oncologic diseases are being improved and an increase in the survival rates are being achieved, long-term complications of these therapies, initially infrequent, assume these days an important place when considering life quality. Among the long term repercussions appears the premature ovarian failure. According to the recommendations of the American Society of Clinical Oncology recently published, the only procedures available nowadays considered to be effective for female fertility preservation are: embryo cryopreservation, conservative gynecological surgery and oophoropexy in cases of local radiotherapy. All the other proposed techniques, surch as: ovarian suppression and oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation, although present promising results, are still considered as experimental options. The best choice for fertility preservation in each specific case depends on patient's age, type of treatment, existence of a partner, time available until chemo- or radiotherapy beginning, and the ovarian metastatic potential of the tumor. In the present manuscript, the available and experimental techniques for fertility preservation are revised and discussed.